RE: Current status of copyright protection of data

From: GROVES Peter <PeterGROVES[_at_]bdb-law.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 15:43:07 -0400

The UK implemented the EC directive in the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1998 - see
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1997/1973032.htm.

Peter Groves
Bircham Dyson Bell, 50 Broadway, London SW1H 0BL Direct line 020 7170 0327

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Noring [mailto:jon[_at_]noring.name] Sent: 25 August 2003 16:15
To: CNI-COPYRIGHT -- Copyright & Intellectual Property Subject: [CNI-(C)] Current status of copyright protection of data

In 1991, the Supreme Court ruled in Feist vs. Rural Telephone Service that copyright does not extend to data. That is, the "sweat of ones brow" in assembling a database does not confer copyright protection to the data itself -- copyright only covers how the data is tangibly fixed and expressed. (I think I mostly explained that right.)

I vaguely recall that after Feist, Congress considered legislation to extend copyright protection to compilations of data. What is the current status of this? Was such a law enacted?

In addition, regarding this, what is the situation in England, Canada, Australia, and other countries in the world?

Thanks in advance.

Jon Noring

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Received on Wed Aug 27 2003 - 23:43:07 GMT