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From: wff@ADOBE.UUCP (Ware and Freidenrich)
Newsgroups: mod.legal
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <8602280723.AA00969@adobe.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 02:23:17 EST
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Posted: Fri Feb 28 02:23:17 1986
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Subject: Re:  question about copyrighting public domain works
Newsgroups: mod.legal
References: <8602261415.AA18430@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>

> Paul:
> 
>       The Bambi Book company can not copyright the story. However if there are
> any illustrations they can be copyrighted. I also believe that if the work is
> changed or formatted differently they can copyright the the changes or
> format. I am not a lawyer so just take that as my personnal opinion.
> 
>    Dennis

I am a lawyer, and you are correct.  For example, a recent case concluded
that West Publishing could reprint decisions by the federal courts (which by
law belong to the public domain) and have a copyright to the page numbers in
West's printed version.  It may boggle the mind, but it's true.

Carey Heckman