Lazarus Responds to CUCUG News Item, Threatens to Sue CUCUG

We received the following email just hours after posting news that "Lazarus", a widely known pirate software site had been forced off the Internet by Gateway for posting and distributing illegal, copyrighted software. In it, Lazarus denys that Amiga ROMs were available for download and discounts the notion that what it was engaged in was "piracy" since many of the programs on its site were no longer commercially available. They also threatened to sue CUCUG for libel.

While CUCUG stands by its original story, we offer this note here in the interest of fairness.

Kevin Hisel, Webmaster
Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group


Date sent: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 04:09:28 +0000
To: nunya@bidnezz.com
From: Lazarus <lazarus@aqcom.com>
Subject: http://www.cucug.org/amiga/aminews/1998/981028-cucug.html

Dear Sirs,

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, we must insist that the news item currently carried by the CUCUG within its Amiga Web Directory, concerning the Lazarus organisation, be amended to reflect the following details:

Lazarus famously does not distribute Amiga ROMs, either by means of download via its US-located server, or by linkage to any other Internet site. To suggest otherwise is scandalous.

Lazarus does not, and has never, condoned piracy of Amiga software. The "pirate downloads" referred to within the news item portrays Lazarus as a source for commercially availalabe Amiga software. This is absolutely not the case.

Whilst Lazarus has indeed erroneously included certain items of software which are available for commercial purchase (Disk Salv IV by Dave Haynie and Nib by Jim Drew), such matters have been dealt with by swift action, in order to minimise the effects of such an oversight. These are isolated incidents and do not constitute "lists of pirate downloads".

Conversely, Lazarus has the permission of vast amounts of ex-Amiga programmers, publishers and developers whose programs appear with their blessing. We have exercised our right not to highlight specific items in an effort to centralise their availability, instead, we offer a universal and generic disclaimer.

Your news item, therefore, is misleading, innacurate and defamatory.

Unless it is edited to acknowledge the above, or is replaced by an apology, or is removed in the next 48 hours, Lazarus will seek to proceed with libel action against the CUCUG and the Amiga Web Directory.

Quite how an entire website might be removed permanently on the say-so of one particular group of individuals is inconceivable. Additionally, claiming that a website has sold "a collection of... illegal software on CD" is highly unwise.

Frankly, I'd have expected better editorial from such a highly-regarded and well-respected source of Amiga news.

---
Mark Wright
on behalf of Lazarus


Amiga News Index - Amiga Web Directory


Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group / nunya@bidnezz.com