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Congressional Committee Approves Database Bill
thisissilly writes "Ready for another set of restrictions to so-called 'intellectual property'? The House Judiciary committee approved a bill to extend copyright-like protection to databases, despite opposition by AT&T, Amazon, Yahoo, and Google, among others. Currently mere compilations of facts, such as phone books, are not copyrightable. This would change that. Coverage from Cnet, Internetnews. No word on a Senate version. Let's stop this one before it grows."
Done to death but still...
1. Pass Stupid Bills
2. Lie to Public
3. ????
4. Re-election!
Yvan Eht Nioj!
What's up with the Judiciary committees? The Senate one just passed a bill (S1177) which prohibits the sale of cigars via mail-order.
There's a lot of internet cigar shops stressing about that one.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -RAH
- Phone companies
- Online businesses
- spammers
- The IRS
for having illegally copied versions and/or deriviative works of our database.We'll sell lots of stock at inflated prices, then sell it all just before we lose the court cases.
I mean, if it worked for SCO...
- "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men" -- Blue Oyster Cult, 'Godzilla'
I just sent in a copyright request for all the terms associated with Geometry. Now that heretical balsphemy will all fund my pocket, and be subject to my rule!
Pi is exactly 3! It'll be illegal for you to say otherwise.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
I call shenannigans on this whole idea. I have already copyrighted the entire alphabet to include the formation of letters in a certain sequence to create what I call "words (c)." Therefore any database would violate my standing copyright. Use of any of the letters without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
At least the Wayback machine will have copies from before copyright notices were added to the page... :)
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
Unfortunately, my good friends Joe & Martha Beer first have to learn about said corporate power grabbing through the media outlets owned by
Transmission stopped
now the gathering of what can be defined as public knowledge can be protected by the IP vultures.
No, not yet. Didn't you ever watch Saturday Morning Cartoons?
And I quote:
I'm just a bill,
Yes, I'm only a bill,
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city,
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law someday...
At least I hope and pray that I will,
But today I'm still just a bill.
{Gee, bill, you certainly have a lot of patience and courage!}
{Well I got *this* far. When I started, I wasn't even a *bill* - I was just an idea. Some folks back home decided they wanted a law passed, so they called their local congressman and he said "You're right, there ought to be a law." Then he sat down and wrote me out and introduced me to Congress, and I became a bill. And I'll remain a bill until they decide to make me a law.}
I'm just a bill,
Yes I'm only a bill,
And I got as far as Capitol Hill.
Well now I'm stuck in committee
And I sit here and wait
While a few key congressmen
Discuss and debate
Whether they should
Let me be a law...
Oh how I hope and pray that they will,
But today I am still just a bill.
{Listen to those congressmen arguing! Is all that discussion and debate about you?}
{Yes. I'm one of the lucky ones. Most bills never even get this far. I hope they decide to report on me favourably, otherwise I may die.}
{"Die?"}
{Yeah: die in committee. Oooh! But it looks like I'm gonna live. Now I go to the House of Representatives and they vote on me.}
{If they vote "yes", what happens?}
{Then I go to the Senate and the whole thing starts all over again.}
{Oh no!}
{Oh yes!}
I'm just a bill,
Yes I'm only a bill,
And if they vote for me on Capitol Hill,
Well then I'm off to the White House
Where I'll wait in a line
With a lot of other bills
For the President to sign.
And if he signs me then I'll be a law...
Oh, how I hope and pray that he will,
But today I am still just a bill.
{You mean even if the whole Congress says you should be a law, the President can still say no?}
{Yes, that's called a "veto". If the President vetoes me, I have to go back to Congress, and they vote on me again, and by that time it's...}
{By that time, it's very unlikely that you'll *become* a law! It's not easy to become a law, is it?}
No! But how I hope and I pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill!
{He signed you, bill! Now you're a law!}
{Oh yes!}
"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
Congress ~can~ make new laws which overturn existing precedent. That is their function.
;) Prescience is "knowledge of the future"; if that doesn't get priority I don't know what does. Just ask Paul Muadib from Dune.
On the other hand, you are right when you say that prescient takes priority.
Better yet, copyright your body and, if you have blue eyes, sue anyone else with blue eyes for copyright infringement.
is that Amazon.com is opposing the bill. It's great to see that Amazon.com is continuing their stellar practice of vigilantly opposing intellectual property abuse.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
Elsevier: Mr. Russell, I sue you for quoting my copyrighted database.
B. Russell: Oh, I see, you claim to be the copyright holder. Do you have proof?
Elsevier: Easy. Here is the relevant quote from the U.S. copyright registry...
B. Russell: Gotcha! You can't do that! :-)