* Matthew Palmer: > On Fri, Jan 07, 2005 at 12:10:18AM +0100, Florian Weimer wrote: >> * Lewis Jardine: >> >> > In the case of data tables, in many jurisdictions, a mere collection of >> > facts is not copyrightable; the classic example is a telephone directory >> > (everything in it is an uncreative fact; that there are thousands of >> > them, which may have taken a lot of effort to gather, is immaterial). >> >> Databases are already copyrighted in many jurisdictions. AFAIK, this >> is also on the agenda of U.S. lawmakers. > > As I understand it, Databases are protected by a separate EU directive,
And by applicable national law. > which provides different (although to some degree similar) protections to > that afforded by copyright. Databases are *not* copyrightable in the same > sense as a computer program or artistic work. "Copyright" is a wildcard anyway when applied to countries with Droits d'auteur because the concepts are somewhat different. Others use the the term "intellectual property rights", which is even more fuzzy, but I don't think we should follow their example.