Assessment Technologies of Wi, Llc v. Wiredata, Inc.: Seventh Circuit Decision Reinforces the Noncopyrightability of Facts in a Database
11 Pages Posted: 21 Aug 2016
Date Written: January 31, 2004
Abstract
The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently handed down a decision that squarely supports the Supreme Court holding in Feist that noncopyrightable facts contained in a database are not and cannot be protected by copyright. The decision, written by Judge Richard A. Posner, plainly states that such facts cannot be protected by copyright law no matter how far embedded or intertwined they may be with copyrightable portions of code or structure. While the facts in this case are almost as barren of originality as those in Feist, the strong opinion strikes a blow to those who would like to skirt the clear principles enunciated in Feist.
Keywords: Copyright, database, Feist
JEL Classification: K30, K39
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation