"Would the problem be solved if we e-mailed this out in 16pt or 4pt type. Is that the problem?" the representative said. "Do we solve the problem by sending them in some sort of Arabic-looking font?"

The source compared the product which his company offers with that of Cliff's Notes and Encyclopedia Brittanica.

"B.U.'s bookstore sells Cliff's Notes which have no disclaimers about plagiarizing," he said. "I wonder why Bob Smith [from B.U.'s Office of the General Counsel] has not sued Cliff's Notes. Possibly because there he will be up against heavy money...and he knows he's treading on thin ice."

One Company's Reaction

The unnamed source cited in the suit said he was outraged by the legal actions taken by B.U.

"[I am angered] by the high handedness of the effort on the part of B.U.," he said. "They take it upon themselves to censor on behalf of the entire state of Massachusetts as to what they may and may not read."

The source claimed that the suit was an infringement on the company's First Amendment rights.

"What we are selling is totally harmless," the source said. "What we are providing is not a Web site that tells you how to build a suitcase atom bond, not pornography and not one of the 250 racial and ethnic hate sites. What we are offering for sale are such dangerous items as a paper on the relationship between Hamlet and his mother."

The source's company voluntarily halted sales to Massachusetts since they became aware of the lawsuit, he said.

"We turned down today [a customer requesting research] on the economic impact of the Russian grain harvest failure in 1990-95," he said. "Boston University feels that this info should not be available to anyone in Massachusetts...because of the possibility that some people [who] are students may purchase a paper and plagiarize it".

The source denied any legal infractions, citing in part the multitude of disclaimers which pervade his Web site.

"We don't condone [plagiarism]. We have [the customers] sign an order form which [states] that they understand that the product is for research purposes only," the representative said. "That notwith-standing, Bob Smith [of the General Counsel's Office] wants no one in Massachusetts to have access to [research on the Russian grain harvest]."

Not all of his company's business comes from selling research to students, the source said.

The representative's company-which he described as a provider of underlying research-derives about 50 percent of its business from non-academic customers.

If the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, the representative's company would lose less than 5 percent of its total business.