2A00:23C5:FE56:6C01:E86B:B117:D83C:2676 at 20:04, 22 October 2023

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'''ClariNet Communications Corp''' was an online newspaper service delivered over the internet. It was founded in 1989 in [[Waterloo, Ontario]] by [[Brad Templeton]].

ClariNet delivered traditional newspaper and magazine content using [[Usenet newsgroup]] technology,
existing as a proprietary newsgroup hierarchy independent to the [[Big 8 (Usenet)|Big 8]] hierarchies.
News was delivered over the internet using [[NNTP]] as well as [[UUCP]].

== Founding ==

In the late 1980s, the [[Internet]] in the United States consisted of a variety of regional hubs
connected by the [[NSFNet]]. Overtly commercial traffic was not permitted due to the
[[NSFNet#Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)|Acceptable Use Policy]]. Templeton reports convincing
[[Stephen Wolff]], director of NSFNet, that a news service sold to universities and research labs
on the internet for use in research and education would not violate the AUP, even though it was
a for-profit effort.

It has some claim<ref>David Coursey, [https://www.pcworld.com/article/166302/20_years_of_dot_com_era.html "20 Years Ago Today: Birth of the Dot-Com Era"], ''PC World'', June 08, 2009</ref><ref>Philip Baczewski, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BVXbAAAAMAAJ&q=clarinet+communications ''"The Internet Unleashed"''], 1994</ref> to being the earliest company created to use the internet as a business platform, commonly known as a [[dot-com company]].

The initial announcement of a for-profit internet-based business was announced in June 1989
<ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/news.admin/r53GDlfyUro/6b0SU6BQO5kJ "Live News & Professional Electronic Publications in USENET Format"], June 9, 1989</ref> and
generated significant controversy<ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/news.admin/r53GDlfyUro "news.admin USNET thread"], June 1989</ref>
with some expressing fear of a destruction of the non-profit culture of the network.
The first subscribing customer was [[Stanford University]].

== Business ==

ClariNet began publishing the news of [[UPI]] and [[Newsbytes]] and other typical newspaper wire sources.
It also included material form newspaper syndicates, such as the popular [[Dave Barry]] column and
the first internet based comic strips, including ''[[Dilbert]]'' by [[Scott Adams]].
The ''''Street Price Report'''' published a database of advertised prices for computer products in
magazines, presaging the creation of [[Comparison shopping website]]s later in the decade.
<ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.text.desktop/Mr13huI-pKk "Laser Printers -- ClariNet Street Price Report"], ''comp.text.desktop USNET'' October 18, 1991</ref>

In 1994 ClariNet switched from UPI to the [[Associated Press]] and [[Reuters]].
Other services added included the Commerce Business Daily, PR Newswire and Business Wire

ClariNet grew quickly for the pre-dot-com-boom era, and was the highest ranked dot-com company
on the 1996 [[Inc. (magazine)|Inc. Magazine]] 500.<ref>[https://www.inc.com/magazine/19971015/1486.html "A collection of 24 short articles about companies from the 1997 Inc. 500."] ''Inc. Magazine'', October 15, 1997</ref><ref>[https://www.inc.com/magazine/19971015/1487.html "The fastest-growing private companies in America in 1997, arranged alphabetically."] ''Inc. Magazine'', October 15, 1997</ref>

ClariNet sold site-wide subscriptions. At the time of its acquisition by [[Individual, Inc.]]
in 1997 it reported 1.5 million paying subscribers.<ref>Reuters, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-17-fi-4245-story.html "Individual Inc. Will Buy ClariNet"] ''Los Angeles Times'', June 17, 1997</ref>

== Free speech ==

ClariNet was a plaintiff/appellant in the United States Supreme Court
case [[Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union]]. ClariNet's CEO testified that the
[[Communications Decency Act]] created a chilling effect for online publishers.<ref>[https://www.epic.org/free_speech/censorship/lawsuit/complaint.html UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA], ''Civ. No. 96-963'', February 8, 1996</ref> The appellants
prevailed 9-0 and the decency sections were struck down.
<ref>[https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/clarinet-affidavit-aclu-et-al-v-reno "CLARINET AFFIDAVIT IN ACLU, ET AL V. RENO"], February, 1996</ref>

== Science fiction eBooks ==

In 1992 ClariNet announced a subscription "all you can read" book service for Science Fiction readers
called the "Library of Tomorrow."<ref>Tom Easton, [http://www.jandtbooks.com/2018/07/11/heres-something-new-a-collection-of-toms-e-book-reviews/ "HERE’S SOMETHING NEW: A COLLECTION OF TOM’S E-BOOK REVIEWS!"], July 11, 2018</ref><ref>F. Paul Wilson, [https://www.informationweek.com/e-publishing-part-1-in-the-beginning/d/d-id/1102367 "E-Publishing, Part 1: In The Beginning"], ''Information Week'', January 19, 2012</ref> In 1993,
it published, in coordination with the Science Fiction [[Hugo Awards]] an [[E-book]] anthology
containing all the nominees for the 1993 Hugo Award, presented at the
[[51st World Science Fiction Convention]] in San Francisco. The anthology also contained all
[[Nebula Award]] short fiction nominees for that year. With 5 full novels (most still only available
in hardcover) ClariNet claimed this was the largest anthology or e-Book of current fiction published
under one cover. It also featured a hypertext version of [[A Fire Upon the Deep]], the to-be-Hugo-winning
novel by [[Vernor Vinge]].<ref>Jason W Ellis, [https://dynamicsubspace.net/2013/01/26/hugo-and-nebula-anthology-2013-cd-rom-source-for-new-project/ "Hugo and Nebula Anthology 2013, CD-ROM Source for New Project"], January 26, 2013</ref>
The anthology was available for download over the internet, and on CD-ROM. In particular,
it was made available to voters in the Hugo awards to allow them to read the works in time to vote on
them for the award. The publication of such a "Hugo Packet" became a common practice in later years.
<ref>[http://www.thehugoawards.org/category/voter-packet/ "Hugo Awards Voter Packets available for download"]</ref>

== Alumni ==
* [[Brad Templeton]]
* [[Don Woods (programmer)]]
* [[David H. Brandin]]

== See also ==
* [[History of the Internet]]
* [[dot-com company]]
* [[USENET]]
* [[UUNET]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.clari.net] - Remnant page
* [http://www.netfunny.com/hugo.html] - Product page for Hugo anthology
* [http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/rhfclari.html] - Account by Templeton of how the rec.humor.funny newsgroup led to the creation of ClariNet

[[Category:Internet properties established in 1989]]
[[Category:Canadian news websites]]
[[Category:1989 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Newspaper companies of Canada]]
[[Category:Companies based in Waterloo, Ontario]]

ClariNet - Revision history

2A00:23C5:FE56:6C01:E86B:B117:D83C:2676 at 20:04, 22 October 2023