Re: GNU Free Database License

[Merijn de Weerd]

On 2006-09-16, Alfred M. Szmidt <ams@gnu.org> 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

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