Re: Lawmakers to Weigh Database Protection Bill

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

Lawmakers to Weigh Database Protection Bill 
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3397051
Fri September 5, 2003 05:08 PM ET 
By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are
circulating a proposed bill that would prevent wholesale copying of school
guides, news archives and other databases which do not enjoy copyright
protection.

The proposed bill would provide a legal umbrella for publishers of factual
information, such as courtroom decisions and professional directories,
similar to the copyright laws that protect music, novels and other
creative works.

The bill has not yet been introduced but the Judiciary Committee and the
Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a joint hearing on the bill in the
coming weeks, a Commerce Committee spokesman said.

Backers of the measure say it would allow database providers to protect
themselves against those who simply cut and paste their databases and
resell them, or make them available for free online. Violators could be
shut down and be forced to pay triple the damages they incurred.

*****

Query from Chuck-who, as we all have, has seen too many corporations
feather their own nests with bills in congress-Which publishers stand to
gain the most from this?

If the Sony Bono copyright extension act was the Mickey Mouse Act or
protect Disney forever, is this the directories act, or the legal database
act?  It is another sheer grab of material that can't be copyrighted-Even
if we don't own it, we can make you use it the way we want? And get triple
damages if you use it any way except how we want it to be used. I thought
this concept was defeated but back it comes.  Chuck