I've seen this message on several lists now and it seems that what is not noticed is the term 'substantial portion'. Info about your wee ancestor is not a substantial portion of the copyrighted material. The proposed legislation is trying to stop people from copying a block of info (like a complete transcription of an early Wayne county history) and posting it for free, such as Usenet. It is their work of compiling the collection that they want to copyright. And rightly so.