Facts, in contrast to the structure, sequence and organization of facts,
are not protectable. Compilations of facts arrayed in an obvious sequence,
such as a white pages phone book directory, are not protectable (in
contrast, the structure of a yellow pages, which has an organizational
scheme created by an author, would be protectable (although the underlying
facts in a yellow pages directory would not be protectable)).
But let's hear NSI's explication - they are the ones that made a public
announcement that its data is intellectual property.
At 04:08 PM 5/5/99 -0700, you wrote:
>On Wed, May 05, 1999 at 05:17:34PM -0400, Martin B. Schwimmer wrote:
>> >From today's Washington Post:
>>
>> "NSI argues that it has an exclusive right to the database because the
>> company's original agreement with the National Science Foundation specified
>> that it would own any "intellectual property" created by the
>> address-registration business. "It's very clear that we have the rights to
>> this data," said NSI spokesman Christopher Clough."
>>
>>
>>
>> Mr. Clough, can you please clarify your statement in view of the Supreme
>> Court's Feist decision - specifically, what data in the whois database
>> might rise to be intellectual property?
>
>Marty, for the benefit of those of us who are not lawyers (TOUWANL),
>could you briefly describe the Feist decision?
>
>> The fictitious names and addresses would remain the property of the DN
owner.
>
>--
>Kent Crispin "Do good, and you'll be
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] lonesome." -- Mark Twain
>
>
