RE: [at-l] On Line AT-Guide

["Tom Janofsky" <twj175@voicenet.com>]

Not to be a silly about this (because I'm not sure exactly what kind of info
you're talking about) but my understanding of copyrights say that facts (of
which distances and places names) certainly are aren't copyrightable
material - that would have to be some type of "creative work".  Maps can
certaily be copyrighted, but the fact that it's 9 1/2 feet from my front
door to the street (or 5.3 miles from shelter X to shelter Y) can't be owned
by anyone even if they are the ones who went to the trouble of finding it
out.

This is how the Donnelly Directory (called something else now?) was able to
get away with copying the listings in the white pages and not getting
permission from Bell.

I had a discussion about this with some people on the other list and they
(unnamed) persited in telling me that this sort of thing was wrong and that
people were stealing this or that info and violating copyrights.  I fail to
see how this could be the case though.

Not that I'm encouraging anyone to take this info without talking to you
guys first, but as far as the pure data goes, I don't think you can have any
real control over it.

	Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-at-l@backcountry.net [mailto:owner-at-l@backcountry.net]On
Behalf Of Walt Daniels
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 5:00 PM