Database Protection Bill (Coble) - Compromise Reached

[Ann Okerson <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>]

>From EDUCAUSE, October 17th, 2003:

COMPROMISE REACHED ON DATABASE-PROTECTION BILL

A House of Representatives subcommittee has passed a bill that would
extend strong intellectual-property protections to databases after
opposition from three academic groups was withdrawn. The Database and
Collections of Information Misappropriation Act, introduced last week by
Howard Coble (R-N.C.), had stirred objections from academic groups, which
saw it as a threat to researchers. The original version of the bill
included a vague exception for academics, but the version that passed the
subcommittee this week has a much stronger exception. According to the
revised bill, "no liability shall be imposed under this act" on higher
education and research institutions or their employees. With that
language, the Association of American Universities, the American Council
on Education, and the National Association of State Universities and
Land-Grant Colleges have ended their opposition to the bill and assumed a
neutral position. Other groups, including the National Academies, the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, and academic-library organizations, continue to
oppose the bill. Chronicle of Higher Education, 17 October 2003 (sub.
req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/10/2003101701t.htm

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