Re: Re: The Rights of Major League Baseball

At 11:53 AM 12/3/2003 Wednesday -0500, Chris Sprigman wrote:
>David's comment raises an interesting point. A
>baseball game is, as David suggests, likely not a work
>of authorship. The work entitled to protection is in
>the "telecast" -- i.e., the game plus the associated
>commentary, graphic images, etc. So long as an
>internet gamecast doesn't use protected elements of
>the telecast, but instead transmits only facts about
>the underlying (unprotectible) game, MLB shouldn't
>have a copyright claim. And by this reasoning, it
>follows that MLB shouldn't be able to prevent, through
>a copyright lawsuit, a local independent television
>station from setting up a TV camera on one of the
>roofs overlooking Wrigley field and broadcasting the
>Cubs game with its own commentary.

I think that's right. There was actually an item in the papers a few months ago about how the Cubs were threatening to take action against people who live across the street from Wrigley Field and who were charging admission to watch the games from their rooftops -- I don't know what happened about that.
David Received on Thu Dec 04 2003 - 02:11:48 GMT