4.1205 Copyright (2/61)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 4 Apr 91 16:54:04 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 1205. Thursday, 4 Apr 1991.


(1) Date: Wed, Apr 3, 1991 9:55:56 AM (21 lines)
From: Adam Engst <ace%tidbits.UUCP@theory.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: Re:4.1198 US Supreme Court

(2) Date: Thu, 4 Apr 91 13:57 EDT (40 lines)
From: "Peter D. Junger" <JUNGER@CWRU>
Subject: Where one _cannot_ obtain a copy of the _Feist_

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, Apr 3, 1991 9:55:56 AM
From: Adam Engst <ace%tidbits.UUCP@theory.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: Re:4.1198 US Supreme Court

RE>4.1198 US Supreme Court:

Extremely interesting. In view of this decision about not being able to
copyright the facts of a compilation, how would copying the table of
contents of a periodical count (and by copying, I mean retyping in a
different format to avoid specific layout and design issues)? I could
see "originality" in an index, because index terms are (I hope)
carefully and meticulously chosen, but a table of contents merely lists
an article title and the page number. Aren't there a number of
publications, like Reader's Guide to Periodicals that already do this?
Do they pay licensing fees or has this specific question been moot for
some time now?

thanks ... -Adam

ace@tidbits.tcnet.ithaca.ny.us The best way to predict the future
pv9y@crnlvax5, pv9y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu is to invent it. -Alan Kay

(2) --------------------------------------------------------------45----
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 91 13:57 EDT
From: "Peter D. Junger" <JUNGER@CWRU>
Subject: Where one _cannot_ obtain a copy of the _Feist_

When I sent that that overly long message to Humanist about the recent
copyright decision I figured that some of you would want to see the
entire opinion, so I planned to explain how it can be obtained --by
those who don't have access to LEXIS or WESTLAW--from the Supreme Court
files maintained by project Hermes on the Cleveland Freenet, an internet
node that is maintained by Case Western Reserve University's Information
Network Services. I asked Judy Kaul, one of our research librarians, to
get that information for me; as I have access to LEXIS and WESTLAW I do
not use project Hermes as a source of Supreme Court opinions.

It turned out that the _Feist_ decision is not available on Freenet. It
just isn't there. And there are a couple of other cases that are
missing from the current term. I can't explain why the cases are
missing--our Information Network Services has indulged in some awfully
heavy handed censorship, but I can't see why they would purge three
randomly selected Supreme Court opinions--they are just missing.

So instead of telling you how to get the Feist case, I've got to post
this message as a warning to those who use, or are thinking of using,
the project Hermes files on Freenet. SOME OF THE FILES ARE MISSING!

It's a shame. Project Hermes which supposedly would supply network
access to all the Supreme Court opinions seemed like such a good idea.
(Perhaps those who subscribe directly to project Hermes, rather than
getting the files from Freenet, have been getting all the files. I
certainly hope so.)

Anyway, the news is that you can't get the _Feist_ case from Freenet.

If there is a large demand, I will send a copy to the editors to post on
the Listserver.

Sorry about that.

Peter D. Junger--Case Western Reserve University--Cleveland, Ohio