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Canada Post Files Copyright Lawsuit Over Crowd-sourced Postal Code Database

Posted by Soulskill on from the holding-a-copyright-on-being-jerks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Canada Post has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Geolytica, which operates GeoCoder.ca, a website that provides several geocoding services including free access to a crowd-sourced, compiled database of Canadian postal codes. Canada Post argues that it is the exclusive copyright holder of all Canadian postal codes and claims that GeoCoder appropriated the database and made unauthorized reproductions. GeoCoder compiled the postal code database by using crowdsourcing techniques, without any reliance on Canada Post's database, and argues that there can be no copyright on postal codes and thus no infringement (PDF)."

4 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Right Idea, Wrong Argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As much as I think the idea of copyrighting post codes is stupid, surely the source of the data doesn't matter. That is like taking a picture, looking at each pixel, manually selecting a similar color pixel and creating a new image, then claiming that you own copyright on this new image. Postcodes should be as uncopyrightable as information about the boundary between counties.

    1. Re:Right Idea, Wrong Argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I know this sounds radical, but sometimes people note that there laws in a different country that - shockingly - ALREADY ACTUALLY HANDLE A PARTICULAR SITUATION CORRECTLY.

    2. Re:Right Idea, Wrong Argument by Kneo24 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why would you post a link to ONE picture where you need to be logged in to view? I realize my comment is off-topic, but when you're having a public discussion and you're trying to use examples to back up your points so they're more clear, I can't help but wonder why you would choose an example behind a wall that we have to now get over.

  2. Why? by Hentes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A guy creates a site that makes it easier for customer's to use their service, why the hell are they suing him?