3 ms·
The Reddit commentator appears to be operating on the idea that trap streets and the like are copyrightable under US law, which is a fairly common urban legend.
by msbarnett 16y ago
The Reddit commentator appears to be operating on the idea that trap streets and the like are copyrightable under US law, which is a fairly common urban legend.
In reality adding a fake "fact" to a collection of real facts does not allow you to sue someone if they copy the fake fact along with the real facts; from the decision in Nester's Map & Guide Corp. v. Hagstrom Map Co., treating "'false' facts interspersed among actual facts and represented as actual facts as fiction would mean that no one could ever reproduce or copy actual facts without risk of reproducing a false fact and thereby violating a copyright ... If such were the law, information could never be reproduced or widely disseminated"
- pbhjpbhj 16y agoIn Europe there are specific database IP rights. Re the decision you cite it seems to be spurious. The notion of whether the data is factual or not is irrelevant. Was the presentation copied? >would mean that no one could ever reproduce or copy actual facts without risk of reproducing a false fact Unless they actual did some work and checked the facts rather than making a slavish, infringing, copy of someone else's work. >If such were the law, information could never be reproduced or widely disseminated" For limited terms of never (not limited enough mind you but nonetheless limited). This is interesting though - if you can copy facts with impunity then can't I copy the "fact" of the score for Katy Perry's Firework for example?