22 Dec
2004
22 Dec
'04
9:24 p.m.
No one has mentioned copyright laws in this debate.
US copyright laws have changed in recent years and it seems that usenet postings now enjoy copyright protection in the US, with some exceptions. From what I've read on this topic the public/private nature of the posting site does not affect this protection.
usenet postings have always (afaik) enjoyed such protection. they're just like any other piece of content authored by an individual. in the US, author retains copyright by default, regardless of whether they file it or not.