Legal Protection of Databases

Mark J. Davison0521802571, 9780521802574, 9780511063510

Mark Davison examines several legal models designed to protect databases, and specifically, the E.U. Directive — the history of its adoption and its transposition into national laws. Davison compares the Directive with various American legislative proposals, as well as the principles of misappropriation that are behind them. In addition, the book contains a commentary on the appropriateness of the various models in the context of arguments for international agreement on the topic.

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Table of contents :
Half-title……Page 3
Series-title……Page 4
Title……Page 5
Copyright……Page 6
Dedication……Page 7
Contents……Page 9
Foreword……Page 17
URLs……Page 18
Table of cases……Page 19
Table of legislation……Page 25
Table of European Union legislation……Page 36
Table of treaties, conventions, other international and regional instruments……Page 40
1 Introduction……Page 43
Why have databases become an important issue……Page 44
The structure of this book……Page 45
2 Some basic principles……Page 52
Compilations and collections……Page 53
Originality……Page 55
Authorship……Page 63
Infringement……Page 66
Rights that are infringed……Page 70
Right of reproduction……Page 71
Right of communication to the public……Page 73
Exceptions to copyright……Page 74
Compulsory licensing……Page 76
Summary of copyright……Page 78
Principles of unfair competition……Page 79
Contract law and databases……Page 82
The paradigm does not fit……Page 85
The legal model for protection may generate the possibility of legitimate market power being created……Page 88
The logistics of government regulation……Page 89
Aspects of distributive justice……Page 90
3 Protection of databases in the EU……Page 92
History of the Directive……Page 93
The Green Paper……Page 94
The First Draft……Page 95
Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of the Council……Page 102
Amendments to the Directive by the European Parliament……Page 107
The final version of the Directive……Page 110
Summary of the Directive……Page 141
Circumvention of protection measures……Page 142
4 Transposition of the Directive……Page 145
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 151
Sui generis protection……Page 153
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 155
Unfair competition law……Page 157
Sui generis protection……Page 158
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 160
Unfair competition laws……Page 165
Sui generis protection……Page 166
Copyright protection before and after transposition……Page 168
Unfair competition laws……Page 169
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 171
Unfair competition laws……Page 173
Sui generis protection……Page 174
Copyright before and after transposition of databases prior to the Directive……Page 175
Unfair competition laws……Page 176
Sui generis protection……Page 177
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 180
Unfair competition laws……Page 181
Sui generis protection……Page 182
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 183
Sui generis protection……Page 184
Copyright before and after transposition……Page 185
Unfair competition laws……Page 188
Sui generis protection……Page 189
Summary of the transposition of the Directive……Page 194
Conclusion……Page 200
5 Protection of databases in the United States of America……Page 202
Some decisions since Feist……Page 204
Circumvention of technological measures……Page 206
The fair use defence……Page 209
Summary of the copyright position……Page 212
Nature and history of the American tort of misappropriation……Page 213
International News Service v. Associated Press……Page 214
The chequered history of the decision in International News Service v. Associated Press……Page 220
Limitations on the scope of the tort of misappropriation……Page 221
Summary of American unfair competition law……Page 231
The Database Investment and Intellectual Property Antipiracy Bill of 1996……Page 232
The Collections of Information Antipiracy Bill 1997……Page 235
The Collections of Information Antipiracy Bill of 1999……Page 242
Summary of the American position……Page 255
6 International aspects of protection of databases……Page 259
International agreements concerning copyright protection of databases……Page 260
National treatment, most favoured nation status and the Directive……Page 263
Steps towards a WIPO Treaty on the Protection of Databases……Page 268
The Draft Treaty……Page 269
Further move towards a database treaty by WIPO……Page 270
Observations by WMO and UNESCO……Page 271
Outcome of the information meeting……Page 272
Summary of moves to adopt a database treaty……Page 273
EU and bilateral arrangements……Page 276
Conclusion……Page 277
7 The appropriate model for the legal protection of databases……Page 279
The argument in favour of sui generis protection……Page 281
Economic theory……Page 283
The costs of intellectual property rights……Page 286
Limiting the costs of property rights……Page 299
Summary of economic theory……Page 300
Anecdotal and empirical evidence……Page 301
Non-economic roles of information……Page 306
Limits of the tragedy of the commons……Page 308
Examples of scientific cooperation……Page 311
Some suggestions for protection of databases……Page 314
Defining the subject matter of protection narrowly so as to avoid unnecessary and unintended consequences……Page 315
Separation of the subject matter of sui generis protection for sweat of the brow from copyright protection……Page 316
Differentiation of sui generis rights from copyright……Page 317
Exceptions to copyright to permit use of underlying information……Page 318
An equivalent to the fair use defence……Page 319
Relationship with contract law and compulsory licences……Page 320
Duration of the period of protection……Page 322
Remedies……Page 323
Government information……Page 324
Conclusion……Page 325
Canadian approach to originality……Page 327
Reports to WIPO on the impact of database protection on developing countries……Page 328
Glossary……Page 330
Bibliography……Page 332
Index……Page 338