Martin Kochanski asked:
>
> I want to post a Cardbox database on our Web site (Cardbox is
> the database that we sell) that contains a list of all
> Unicode characters: hexadecimal code, decimal code,
> character, and character name (eg. GREEK CAPITAL LETTER OMEGA
> WITH TONOS).
>
> The first three of these elements are in the public domain,
> but it strikes me that the character names might be
> considered to be a literary work and therefore copyright.
> Does anyone know whether I do in fact need to ask permission
> before listing those names, and if so, whom I need to ask?
In case it wasn't clear from the short discussion that followed,
let me state for the record:
The character names are a normative part of the Unicode Standard,
and are also identically defined as a normative part of the
International Standard, ISO/IEC 10646 (English version). They
are, indeed, a part of those publicly available standard(s), intended
for free, unrestricted use by all users of those standard(s).
So you don't need to ask anyone's permission to list or otherwise
use those character names.
You *would* have to ask permission (from the Unicode Consortium)
before reproducing the exact *form* of the Unicode code charts,
as printed in the Unicode Standard itself, since the form of
the charts and associated name lists printed there *are* under
copyright.
--Ken
