On 2006-09-16, Alfred M. Szmidt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Don't you think that we need a special license for databases? > > You cannot copyright databases in the US AFAIK. There was a case > about a phone dictionary or so if I recall...
A list of names and phone numbers is not the result of creative activity (decided in the Feist case). But a dictionary is much more than that. Making a list of words with definitions is a lot of work. So a dictionary is certain protected by copyright. A *wordlist* is not. It doesn't matter that the list is in a database format. If it is the result of creative expression fixed in a tangible form, it's protected by copyright. Europe has a separate right for the protection of databases, which is independent of copyright. So a wordlist could be a protected database (ie no copying) even though there's no copyright protection for wordlists. But this right is only avaiable for European producers. http://www.iusmentis.com/databases/ Merijn -- Remove +nospam to reply _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
