Xref: utzoo news.misc:4153 misc.legal:13376
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!pollux.usc.edu!papa
From: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: news.misc,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Copyrights on Usenet Articles
Message-ID: <22225@usc.edu>
Date: 11 Jan 90 04:14:42 GMT
References: <24551@gryphon.COM>
Sender: news@usc.edu
Followup-To: news.misc
Distribution: usa
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 39

In article <24551@gryphon.COM> richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) writes:
[...]
>It was the opinion of this (computer) lawyer that the following
>things were invalid:
>
>1) The compilatin copyright on Brads Jokebook.
>2) Compuserves compilation copyright.
>3) GEnie's compilaiton copyright.
>
>Merely collecting material does not give you a compilation copyright.
>You need to add to it or change it in a not insignificant manner
>(usually taken to be 30%)

The last sentence is FALSE. Compilations don't involver "additions" or
"changes" of any proportion, but "methods and logic of organization":

"DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS FOR DATABASES and OTHER COMPILATIONS

A database is a collection of preexisting information arranged in a 
particular way. [...] Computer databases qualify as an original work
of authorship for copyright purposes when the METHOD and LOGIC used
to organize them is original. The particular compilation need not be
sophisticated to be copyrightable. An alphabetical list of all
professional skiers under the age of 35 would qualify."

Attorney M.J. Salone -- How to Copyright Software, Nolo Press

If the lawyer himself told you that "You need to add to it or change it 
in a not insignificant manner (usually taken to be 30%)" to a compilation
to make it to qualify for copyright, he doesn't know his business at all.
Better look for another lawyer :-)

-- Marco
P.S.:
It is widely known that Compuserve successfully won a case against a
BBS that reproduced its entire file database (in structure and logic).
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Xerox sues somebody for copying?" -- David Letterman
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=