[odc-discuss] Database Contents Licence (formerly the FIL)

Thu Apr 30 15:19:06 UTC 2009

Dear everyone,

This being my first entry on the okfn-list, I would like to add to Jonathans confusion, which I suppose is about the status of bibliographic records. (At least, that's where I get confused...) 

My impression is that as bibliographic records containing only factual information are not original enough to attain copyright status. Copyright, as I understand it, can only be applied to original work, and to databases only if there is any "substantial investment" and you live in  European country where the EU database directive is implemented (such as Sweden). However, I am not sure if my impression is correct. Can a record of factual information ever be considered for copyright? 

If that is the case, is this because the record, being in itself a collection of factual information, is considered a database? (This seems very strange to me...) Or can the effort of putting all this factual information make the record an original creation? (Library cataloguers might be very skilled at what they do, but this still seem strange to me since catalogue records are supposed to be standardized, not original...) Or does it take the addition of any original work (such as an abstract) to make a library record subject to copyright?

Anyway, when licensing library data, I guess you could use both the ODbL and the DbCL together, just to be safe.

Best regards
Anders Söderbäck

---------------------------------------------
Anders Söderbäck
National Cooperation department

Kungl. biblioteket/National Library of Sweden
Mail: Box 5039, 102 41 Stockholm
Visits: Biblioteksgatan 29, Stockholm
Phone: +46 8 463 42 53
Fax: +46 8 463 42 65
Mobile: +46 73 917 24 20
E-mail: anders.soderback at kb.se
www.kb.se

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: odc-discuss-bounces at lists.okfn.org [mailto:odc-discuss-bounces at lists.okfn.org] För Jonathan Rochkind
Skickat: den 30 april 2009 16:39
Till: Jordan S Hatcher
Kopia: odc-discuss at lists.okfn.org
Ämne: Re: [odc-discuss] Database Contents Licence (formerly the FIL)

Excellent, thanks for that, that should help me figure out what license 
is actually appropriate to use (and how) for the library cataloging 
stuff I'd like to use it for -- something I remain confused about.

Jordan S Hatcher wrote:
> Just a heads up that we are renaming the Factual Information Licence  
> the "Database Contents Licence (DbCL)" and going with a redraft for  
> greater clarity and integration with the ODbL.  This will be likely be  
> out tonight or Friday morning, as time permits.  We're soliciting some  
> feedback from the advisory council at the moment before seeding out to  
> the site and list.
>
> Thanks
>
> ~Jordan
>
> ____
> Mr. Jordan S Hatcher, JD, LLM
>
> jordan [at] opencontentlawyer dot com
>
> More details at:
> <http://www.jordanhatcher.com>
>
> Open Data at:
> <http://www.opendatacommons.org>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> odc-discuss mailing list
> odc-discuss at lists.okfn.org
> http://lists.okfn.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/odc-discuss
>   

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