Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!telecom-request From: ho@hoss.unl.edu (Tiny Bubbles...) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Supreme Court: White Pages Not Copyrightable Message-ID: Date: 1 Apr 91 01:47:01 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 30 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 262, Message 2 of 11 In konstan@elmer-fudd.berkeley.edu (Joe Konstan) writes: > The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that phone book listings are not > creative works and that the factual contents are not protected by > copyright. Specifically, anyone else can reproduce the alphabetical > listing right from the phone book! If the sweeping generalities in the Post article are true, I have to disagree with the Supreme Court, because it left this big, vague "originality" problem in case law. But in this particular case, I'm actually chuckling quite loud. Here's a rural telco that basically didn't feel like giving its directory information out to anyone, and they got spanked -- but in the process, they apparently brought grief to other telcos (like US West) who have maintained copyrights on the White Pages but have been willing to license the subscriber lists. Now, anyone can rip 'em off for free. Everybody say 'thanks' to that li'l telco. (I bet the BOC's are gonna be as happy with that company as the press is with CNN for launching that silly prior restraint case.) Michael Ho, University of Nebraska Internet: ho@hoss.unl.edu | Face it. Harry was WAY too homely for Sally. Disclaimer: Views expressed within are purely personal and should not be applied to any university agency.