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City Laws Only Available Via $200 License

Posted by kdawson on from the calling-doctor-malamud dept.

MrLint writes "The City of Schenectady has decided that their laws are copyrighted, and that you cannot know them without paying for an 'exclusive license' for $200. This is not a first — Oregon has claimed publishing of laws online is a copyright violation." This case is nuanced. The city has contracted with a private company to convert and encode its laws so they can be made available on the Web for free. While the company works on this project, it considers the electronic versions of the laws its property and offers a CD version, bundled with its software, for $200. The man who requested a copy of the laws plans to appeal.

12 of 411 comments (clear)

  1. But by igny · · Score: 3, Funny

    Think of the lawyers!

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    In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra
    1. Re:But by rliden · · Score: 4, Funny

      Think of the lawyer's children!

      --
      Don't think of it as a flame, more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage.
    2. Re:But by Hasai · · Score: 4, Funny

      I do; that's why I always load hollow-points.
      ];)

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      Regards;

      Hasai

  2. Re:New form of taxes! by ShatteredArm · · Score: 1, Funny

    This is Schenectady we're talking about. I should think $100 is a drastic overestimate.

  3. Re:New form of taxes! by GargamelSpaceman · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is unfair, but necessary for the proper function of the wheels of justice. It's also unfair when an innocent person is convicted and sentenced to jail, but that is also necessary for the proper functioning of the wheels of justice. Justice demands that it's wheels are regularly lubricated with innocent blood. If you don't want bad-guys running rampant, then you have to throw some virgins into the mangler. It's the price of justice.

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    ...
  4. Re:A simple solution by magarity · · Score: 2, Funny

    $35 charge per vote
     
    Are you from Chicago?
     
    Oh, wait, you mean the voters have to pay the politicians?

  5. New business opportunities. by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dear City Council of Schenectady

    I would like to recommend to you an interesting article.

    The subject is a result of my study "Location, timer settings and defusing codes of explosive devices located in various public buildings of the City of Schenectady".

    I'm convinced you would be very interested in the information contained therein. I am willing to sell you a copy of said article, but considering its literary and informational value, I estimate it to be worth $10mln.

    Simultaneously I would like to state I have no connection with manufacturers of these devices nor people who planted them. This is merely an scientific work of an informative study that should be of interest to all citizens of the city.

    Faithfully, yours, ...

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    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    1. Re:New business opportunities. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      $10mln? It's worth a ten-dollar MELON? Dude...

  6. Re:New form of taxes! by Mechanist.tm · · Score: 2, Funny

    Police:"You are Under arrest" you:"For what charge" Police:"We'll tell you but that will be $200 please"

  7. Re:Welcome to government by Jared555 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I always thought it would be a good idea to do that with comcast. Have a bunch of people call them every single day to check their bandwidth usage. I wonder what the costs of having thousands of people making support calls (preferably all at about the same time of day) to verify the amount of transfer they have left that month compares to getting rid of the limit

  8. Re:Appeal by Svartalf · · Score: 2, Funny

    Heh... I honestly like the first go at that sort of spiel better...

    Prosser: But the plans were on display.
    Arthur Dent: On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar.
    Prosser: That's the display department.
    Arthur Dent: With a torch.
    Prosser: The lights had probably gone.
    Arthur Dent: So had the stairs.
    Prosser: But you did see the notice, didn't you?
    Arthur Dent: Oh, yes. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign outside the door saying "Beware of the Leopard." Ever thought of going into advertising?

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    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  9. Vogons' argument by cpghost · · Score: 2, Funny
    There's an official place where laws are being published and displayed, and there are unofficial services that duplicate those laws, so it is more convenient to check them out. The official place could be something like a well defined place in your city hall.... or in the basement of the local planning department on Alpha Centauri:

    There's no point acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now.

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    cpghost at Cordula's Web.