[WikiEN-l] Copyright Warning

[limholt at excite.com]

While Wikipedians must be willing to take on issues in controversial arguments, I'd ask for your inspection and help as activists in a current issue. I'll start work on an article as soon as I finish the e-mail but wanted active participants to be aware of this.

The U.S. Congress has taken up a bill that I think is dangerous to Wikipdia, or any internet info source. The "Database and Collections of Information Misappropriation Act" (HR 3261) is currently pending in the United States House of Representatives. It was introduced to overturn the 'Feist' court decision ruling that facts can't be copyrighted.

Basically, the bill would allow a newspaper to 'own' anything from their obituaries, the NFL, etc. to own sports scores (or maybe ESPN?).
If I understand it, and IANAL, certain people could sue for coptright violations asserting that they 'Owned' facts. IMHO Wikipedia, and lots of free web resources would suffer.

I'll give two web sitations for the court decision:
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/499_US_340.htm>

and the issue, (yes its an advoicacy site):
<http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/database/>
describiung the proposed law.

With minimal apoliogies for inserting a POV, if you agree with my assesment, write or e-mail your congressman to oppose HR 3261.








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