Time Magazine has filed a lawsuit against CompuServe Corp for attempting to eliminate the magazine’s presence on its service after only half of a two-year agreement and refusing to make payments due. Time has been carried on CompuServe since last March, when the internet service provider wooed it away from America Online Inc with promises of a long-term working relationship and cash. According to Time, in January CompuServe sent notice of its intent to end the relationship in order to cut costs, and the two companies have been in unsuccessful negotiations since then. Time is seeking the $3.5m owed it under the contract and the continuation of its availability on the service. CompuServe issued a response to the suit which contends that the original contract included an exit option after one year, and that Time’s presence has not provided sufficient value to justify continuing the arrangement. Time on CompuServe offers consumers more editorial content than the magazine’s own website, as well as chat forums and message boards. It is presently still available on CompuServe. We guess you’ll be able to read it someplace else soon.
