RE: Not copyrighting facts (RE: copyrighting FACTS???)

["Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>]

> This is the most bizarre statement.  The bill is giving copyright-like
> protections to facts contained in databases.  That's the whole point of it
> -- create exclusive rights to facts in databases.  Either you are saying
> nothing in response to the point, or you are just plain trying to
> obfuscate the issue.

Sorry, let me try to be clearer.  Let's suppose you publish a database
that includes, among other things, mention of the fact that the capital of
Minnesota is St. Paul.  The bill in question would prohibit me from
copying your database's content wholesale and reselling it as a competing
product. It would not prohibit me from publishing the fact that the
capital of Minnesota is St. Paul.  Nor would it prohibit me from compiling
and selling a database that contains many of the same facts as those
contained in your product.  In short: the proposed bill would not place
facts themselves under copyright.

That's not to say that the proposed bill deserves our support.  Like many
people, I'm not sure it's necessary.  But I'm also not sure it represents
a potential Armageddon of restriction.

-------------
Rick Anderson
Director of Resource Acquisition
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
(775) 784-6500 x273
rickand@unr.edu