From: Steve Summit scs@eskimo.com
There may be no artistic input, but some will claim that they deserve protection for all the work they did tracking down the old map and making the scan. To be lily-white, it can be argued that you're supposed to track down an original copy of the old map yourself, and make your own scan.
I am not a lawyer.
In "Feist Publication Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co. Inc." the Supreme Court of the United States said:
"the Constitution mandates originality as a prerequisite for copyright protection..."
"there is nothing remotely creative about arranging names alphabetically in a white pages directory..."
"The primary objective of copyright is not to reward the labor of authors, but "[t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts," and, finally
"Copyright rewards originality, not effort. As this Court noted more than a century ago, 'great praise may be due to the plaintiffs for their industry and enterprise in publishing this paper, yet the law does not contemplate their being rewarded in this way.'"
Did I mention that I am not a lawyer?
Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:
From: Steve Summit scs@eskimo.com
There may be no artistic input, but some will claim that they deserve protection for all the work they did tracking down the old map and making the scan. To be lily-white, it can be argued that you're supposed to track down an original copy of the old map yourself, and make your own scan.
In "Feist Publication Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co. Inc." the Supreme Court of the United States said:
...
"Copyright rewards originality, not effort. As this Court noted more than a century ago, 'great praise may be due to the plaintiffs for their industry and enterprise in publishing this paper, yet the law does not contemplate their being rewarded in this way.'"
This is fine for a US based Wikipedian, and even though I live outside the US I would have no compunction about relying on it, but some of our colleagues are somewhat more reticent to be bold.
(re-sent) Ec