Alibris Charged w/Intercepting Email
L. Taylor - December 26, 1999

Event Summary

Prosecutors in Boston's US District Court charged Internet bookseller Alibris, with 10 counts of intercepting electronic communications and access device fraud. Communications sent to book dealers from Amazon.com were intercepted by Alibris by their wholly owned ISP, Valinet. Similar to President Clinton's 'I didn't inhale' rhetoric, Emeryville, California based Alibris claims that it didn't read any of the email messages or passwords that it unlawfully intercepted from on-line rival Amazon.com. CEO Martin Manley, former Assistant Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, who was appointed by Secretary of Labor Robert Reich in January 1994 in part to 'improve business results' has admitted to the wrong-doing, and claims that today Alibris is a different company. The interception took place when current Alibris Chairman and founder, Dr. Richard M. Weatherford, operated a company under their prior name Interloc. Dr. Weatherford holds a Ph.D. from UCLA...