I am not a copyright expert by any means, but I would think that the "format" would have to be creative and unique. Following the format of the original document is neither creative nor unique. Margaret McCleskey > I have to speak my piece here! I have personally spent literally years > compiling > census data from microfilm and compiling into my format (basically the same > structure as the original document, with some minor modifications of my own). > While > I totally agree that the data itself is public domain and cannot be copyrighted, > my format most certainly is. Why to you see copyright notices posted on most > every > census compilation published (including my own)? > > Now if someone takes my work, sets down, hand copies the data, and puts it into > a > similar format, while not morally or ethically the thing to do, it would > probably be > OK; however, it someone reproduces a copy mechanically of each page, then puts > into > a book format with their name on it as the compiler, then woe to them! If it's > my > work they have ripped off, I will take them to the highest court. > > I'm aware of the provision that "protects the creative expression......does not > protect the labor of the author....." but census data is handwritten; am I not > being > creative by putting the data into printed form? Maybe not! > > Bennie > ---------------------------------------------------- > Bennie White [email protected] > Homepage: http://www.netpathway.com/~bennie/index.html > ClarkeCoMS: http://www.egroups.com/group/ClarkeCoMS > > > Thatcher family wrote: > > > > > I retrieved a segment of the 1880 Federal Census > > > from a microfilm at a historical library and > > > copied the section relating to an entire city. Is > > > there a problem if I were to type that Census > > > record into a database, using the same format as > > > the original Census and post it to the internet or > > > publish that data under my own copyright? > > > > > > > Aside from the fact that it wouldn't be copyrighted, there's no problem. > > > > Census data fails at least three tests of copyright: it is too old, it is > > public information that anyone can look up, and it is a Federal government > > document and thus "property of the people." > > > > If you republish the information (in whatever format), you may be entitled > > to copyright protection, but only towards whatever parts of the publication > > contain your original, creative expression. > > > > Copyright protects the original creative expression of authors; it does not > > protect the labor of the author or researcher. > > > > -- > > Tom Thatcher > > [email protected] > > <http://members.rpa.net/~thatcher/> > > <http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=thatcher-th> > > > > > ==== COPYRIGHT Mailing List ==== > Searchable archives at > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=copyright > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com >