Re: Copyrighting Gibberish

On Sat, 29 Aug 1998, Leo Smith <barter[_at_]ntplx.net> wrote:
>
> Assume that a person authors a copyrightable work in English. The
> author then takes the English version of the copyrightable work and
> encrypts that work using encryption software. The encrypted version is
> then printed out on paper as a series of zeros and ones. The series of
> zeros and ones follow a logic derived from multiplying two prime number
> digits together, with each prime number in the equation being 75 digits
> long. The series of zeros and ones in the encrypted format is not
> "random". Is the printed version of the zeros and ones be
> copyrightable?

No.

A printed _anything_ is not copyrightable. The printed anything is a copy of a work. It is the work that is copyrighted, not the printed copy.

The better question for this set of facts is whether the copyright in the work would prevent the reproduction, etc. of the printed copy, whether represented as cleartext or as encrypted text. Although I don't know of any law specifically dealing with copying of an encrypted copy, I can't think of any reason why the encryption should affect the underlying premise of statutory rights. The copy is still a material object from which the work can be reproduced, etc.

--
Terry Carroll       |    
Santa Clara, CA     |    
carroll[_at_]tjc.com     |       
Modell delendus est |