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EFF Wins Protection For Time Zone Database

Posted by samzenpus on from the it's-about-time dept.

First time accepted submitter TempestRose writes "The trials and tribulations of the time zone database sued by an astrology software company are finally over. From the article: 'The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is pleased to announce that a copyright lawsuit threatening an important database of time zone information has been dismissed. The astrology software company that filed the lawsuit, Astrolabe, has also apologized and agreed to a 'covenant not to sue' going forward, which will help protect the database from future baseless legal actions and disruptions.'"

10 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Astrolabe Needs ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Astrolube ... 'cuz they just got screwed

  2. whooo by starblazer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    patent and copyright trolls gone mad..... seriously... a text file with cities and the time offset?? when will the stupidity end?

    1. Re:whooo by Sique · · Score: 5, Informative

      In most EU legislations, databases are copyright (or Author's right) protected, even when the actual items in the database are not. So a database of historical events or facts actually can be protected.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    2. Re:whooo by DZign · · Score: 5, Funny

      they probably read in the stars they weren't going to win :)

      --
      Learn about pinball machines on www.flippers.be
    3. Re:whooo by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 5, Informative

      In most EU legislations, databases are copyright (or Author's right) protected, even when the actual items in the database are not. So a database of historical events or facts actually can be protected.

      As I understand copyright law, that is also the case in the US if the collection meets some minimum requirements - however the underlying facts aren't copyrightable; which was the issue with the TZ dB. Anyone can compile a list of sunrise times from copyrighted sources and publish it; they can't however copy the book it's in and make it available to others.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    4. Re:whooo by Zironic · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's a bit tricky. Since the database is copyrighted (Your arrangement of the data) but the data itself isn't, it's illegal to copy the database and use it without permission, but it's legal to make your own Database containing all the same facts.

      I think what most Database authors do is that they put bogus data entries into their database and if they can find their entries in someone elses database, they can show that it's a copy rather then a independent work.

  3. Donate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet another reason to click on that "Donate" button on the EFF site.

  4. You won this time EFF, but I'll get you next time! by slack_justyb · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From the submitter:

    which will help protect the database from future baseless legal actions and disruptions.

    From them maybe. The current warfare of the patent/copyright system has come to a point where, even if one line of defense does not seem to work, companies are free to pursue a different course of action and see if they cannot get different results. Hence why, to many, the current system is broken. It simply is no longer being used for the reason for which it was created.

  5. Incompetence by mbone · · Score: 5, Informative

    Both Astrolabe and (especially) their counsel were incompetent here. Counsel never even served Eggert and Olson after filing a complaint September 30th. IANAL, but I think that they had to do that by January, and I assume that that had something to do with the EFFs statement January 12th :

    "Today, we’re taking the battle to Astrolabe, and starting the process for seeking sanctions under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.Rule 11 requires litigants to conduct a reasonable inquiry into the facts and law before filing any paper with the court. Obviously, that didn’t happen here. Astrolabe now has 21 days to withdraw its Complaint. If it doesn’t do so, the Rule 11 “safe harbor” expires and we’re free to ask the court for sanctions.

    Jan 12 + 21 days is Thursday, February 2nd. I imagine that Astrolabe and their counsel dropped the suit to avoid these sanctions.

  6. Re:You know of course... by Calsar · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that Astrolabe could not claim to hold copyright on facts such as when the sun rises. What TFA fails to state is that this is because Apples owns the patent on it.

    I thought Oracle owned all the Sun patents.