Questions and Answers about RLI Online:

Q: When will RLI Online be up and running?
Q: What issues does RLI Online cover?
Q: How often will you update the online service?
Q: Will you have the full text of regulations as well as laws?
Q: What if I just want to pay for one newsletter?
Q: What if I just want to pay for news and reference on one hemisphere?
Q: Why is a global password so much more expensive than a subscription?
Q: Does RLI Online guarantee to provide full texts of ALL recycling laws worldwide?
Q: What if I want to put your reference on my intranet?
Q: What if I have a one-time research need only?
Q: Can I purchase just one report, or just the Country Pages?
Q: Will the service include legal analysis?
Q: We are new to this area, and do not know how to update our internal documents or calculate our fees. We don't even know where we are liable. Can your service help?
Q: We are consultants, and we could use this reference for client work. Can we purchase a password?
Q: What if I need coverage of other environmental issues?
Q: Can you analyze an issue for my company?
Q: We are members of the American Electronics Association. Does this make a difference?
Q: Do you have experience in dealing with electronics customers?
Q: Will your special reports be updated for the online service?
Q: We already have a site license. Will there be any additional charge for the new online service?
Q: We already have an unlimited license (or are considering getting one). How will this work with the new online service?

Q: When will RLI Online be up and running?

A: If youre reading this online, the news and archive sections are open now. The full library will be ready in June, 2001. Top

Q: What issues does RLI Online cover?

A: NEWS: The same issues as our newsletters, reports and conference. We track mainly packaging, battery and electronics takeback, but also environmental labeling, Basel news, materials bans, and related heavy metals issues. We will be covering all electronics-related developments in North America as well, including non-regulatory developments as well as state efforts to relax regulations in order to facilitate recycling. We will also have case histories and international ecolabeling information. We plan to add technical papers (e.g. on DFE) in the future.

Full texts will include major international packaging takeback laws, all battery recovery laws, and electronics takeback laws, as well as major EU Directives, drafts of new legislation when available, and various working papers.

We will add the full text of all major U.S. package recycling laws, battery recycling laws, as well as any public special reports and enforcement documents, depending on demand from customers. Top

Q: How often will you update the online service?

A: The news section will be updated at least three times per month, depending on news flow. When we have obtain new full text documents we will post them on the main list, and link them from the news pages (access limited to global password holders).

The Country Page reference will be updated quarterly for the countries with major changes in laws. The reference will be fully updated on an annual basis. Top

Q: Will you have the full text of regulations as well as laws?

A: Yes, we will post major foreign regulations when we get them. This library may take some time to develop. Top

Q: What if I just want to pay for one newsletter?

A: Your subscription SRLU or RLI will get you access to the appropriate news page, plus the archive of back issues. Top

Q: What if I just want to pay for news and reference on one hemisphere?

A: You can purchase any part of the library, either online or on CD. Top

Q: Why is a global password so much more expensive than a subscription?

A: First, you are getting access to our entire database of information, including special reports, cases, conference papers, and full text documents. It has taken us ten years to develop the information, and newsletter publishers have to charge according to the size of their potential market. Recycling policy is a niche area -- not many firms are willing to pay for international coverage.

Second, you are paying for convenience. We have organized the library so that you can find things quickly.

• You can search by key word
• You can browse through lists
• You can view tables to point you to the right country
• All longer PDF documents are bookmarked so you can find data quickly

Third, we are including full text of laws and documents from around the world. While it may be easy to locate a Dutch translation, just try finding Japanese and Chinese laws easily! If you were to have staff search for these documents, make the calls, then pay a translator, it would cost you thousands extra per year.

What we want to do is save you time. In part, that is what you are paying for.

Also, if you were to purchase all of the items available through RLI Online (newsletters, reports, conference proceedings) separately in hard copy, it would come to about $2,900. Top

Q: Does RLI Online guarantee to provide full texts of ALL recycling laws worldwide?

A: No one can guarantee perfect service. Each company has different needs. What we do promise is that if you have a global password and need a full text document, we will get it for you -- in most cases, for free. If it goes way outside of our coverage, then there may be a charge for research time. Top

Q: What if I want to put your reference on my intranet?

A: We can arrange that by license. We can send you an update CD containing archived material, and you can link to our news pages for up-to-date coverage. Top

Q: What if I have a one-time research need only?

A: Then you should use the pay-per-view option. Use the search engine to locate the documents you need, and just buy what you need! Top

Q: Can I purchase just one report, or just the Country Pages?

A: Yes. Hard copies of our reports are available, or you can purchase just one report on CD. Top

Q: Will the service include legal analysis?

A: No. We are publishers and news gatherers. In this, we are more cost effective than lawyers. We cannot provide detailed legal analysis. However, if you need legal interpretation for your company and do not have an attorney with expertise in this area, we can put you in touch with legal experts in the field. However, we have added a new legal column to the RLI service from Brussels to provide you with more insights on many of the EC controversies. Top

Q: We are new to this area, and do not know how to update our internal documents or calculate our fees. We don't even know where we are liable. Can your service help?

A: Our service is the best place to start. You can easily look up summaries of laws, and search for those that might apply to your product. Our service does not presume you know anything about EPR laws -- you can study the issue summaries to get the big picture.

We do have lists of fees, although calculating what you owe can get very complex. If you sell in many countries and do not have a big compliance staff, you are going to need a consultant to help you. We know who the experts are in this field, and can help you find an appropriate consultant. There are not many that have a complete database in this area yet. Your password to RLI Online will save you thousands with it, your consultant cannot charge you to "reinvent the wheel" on EPR news and texts of laws. Top

Q: We are consultants, and we could use this reference for client work. Can we purchase a password?

A: Because of the smallness of this niche market, and the uncontrolled nature of online information, I cannot sell a standard password to consultants. However, we can determine how many clients you need to use it for, and go one of two ways:

• We can set up an alliance, in which you can make our service a perk of your service so your clients will have access to our news and other references, without you having to rewrite anything. You can then link from our secure site to yours for confidential client information. You can build the cost into your service -- it could help you sell your service to new clients. You can also "private label" our service, and integrate it with yours.
• You can purchase an annual group license, based on the number of clients you need it for, and then you can do what you want with our information. Top

Q: What if I need coverage of other environmental issues?

We can help you track other environmental issues in North America for a fee. Our U.S. service would cost less than that of most consulting firms. We can also do international research on a custom basis. However, our best expertise is in recycling related policy. Top

Q: Can you analyze an issue for my company?

Yes, but whether we take it on ourselves or call in an expert depends on how technical it is. We have been covering recycling and EPR for 13 years. Top

Q: We are members of the American Electronics Association. Can we get a discount?

A: We have been contacted by AEA Europe to see if there is a way we can work with them to make RLI available to their members in Europe. If you are interested, you are welcome to contact AEA to make your own suggestions -- it would be very helpful to us to have better European distribution. If we can get more clients, then we can provide better service, and possibly reduce the cost of your password down the road. Top

Q: Do you have experience in dealing with electronics customers?

A: We have been in business for ten years, and our biggest customers are electronics OEM's. In fact, all of our unlimited licensees are OEM's. References available.

Q: Will your special reports be updated for the online service?

A: We are updating the Latin America report, the Batteries report and creating a new report "Electronics Recycling: What to Expect from Global Mandates" The reports are designed to work in tandem with our news services. Top

Q: We already have a site license. Will there be any additional charge for the new online service?

A: Your password is free, and the license still allows you to share our news with five other people. Top