JSTOR have said that once they had a guarantee the articles had been secured--which I believe means that Aaron claims he no longer has them and has not, and will not distribute them--they had no more interest in pursuing the case. This is the feds acting on their own.
JSTOR said that publicly, and they could well have said that privately. But I'd be interested to know what the various journal companies have said, either to the prosecutor or to the various politicians they lobby and contribute to.
Yeah, it would definitely be interesting to know that.
But even so, is it really that hard to believe that the feds have their own agenda and are acting on their own for this one? I realize I have no proof to back up my assertion that this is all them, but it's not outside the realm of possibility, that's for sure.
They could have their own agenda, sure. But given how much money there is to influence American government these days, I think it's also worth asking "who could benefit financially from this action?"
