Re: [at-l] redress of grievences

["Malcolm Fuller" <mfuller@somtel.com>]

Thomas McGinnis wrote:

> FWIW, in the history described on this list in the past
> week+, it doesn't seem to me like Mr. Bruce has got a case.
> You've got to show economic damage, which means first showing
> economic worth, which means demonstrating that proprietary
> information existed. "Proprietary Information" is information
> which might be *sourced* from public information (or, better for
> you, be developed privately), but *at*least* contains calculations,
> analysis, or format (any of which lends worth to the information)
> *not*otherwise*deriveable* by publically available means (such as
> simple arithmetic).

I'm not up on copyright law, but what you write sounds
correct except for the "lends worth to the information"
caveat. I've read (and this may be an urban legend) that
dictionary publishers routinely misspell several of the
more obscure words in their dictionary in order to trap
others who try to publish the word lists as their own.

I also know of a land surveyor who caught another
surveyor copying information from his plats. He caught
him by purposely using bogus middle initials in the
names on deed references; when you read the initials in
the correct order it spelled the original surveyor's name.

Such tricks do not add "worth to the information," but
they certainly establish that copyrighted material had
been used. Were I Wingfoot (or ALDHA), I would've added
a number of such "easter eggs" to my guide.

Adios,
MF

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