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Astrolabe Claims It Holds Copyright On Timezone Data; Sues Maintainers Of Public Timezone Database
from the you-can't-copyright-facts dept
Wow! Via Slashdot, we discover that a company named Astrolabe, which appears to make astrology software, has ridiculously decided to sue the maintainers of the timezone database that nearly every Unix and Linux platform uses to set clocks to local time. Astrolabe apparently bought the rights to the database from The American Atlas, which is cited as a source in the timezone database. But... there's a problem: you can't copyright facts. And it's difficult to see how this information is anything but factual. We have the full legal filing embedded below, but the best analysis comes from The Daily Parker's Dave Braverman who breaks down the legal issues as follows:
Braverman, in his writeup, notes that if the case actually does get anywhere, it could create a massive nuisance for anyone who uses Linux. But he also points out how incredibly short-sighted the lawsuit is:
- Is data about when time zone rules changed throughout history protected under copyright?
- If so, who owns it?
- If someone owns it, is the Olson database a derivative work under copyright law?
- If the Olson database does, in fact, derive from the work in question, is it a fair use?
- Just how stupid are these astrologists, anyway?
Braverman, in his writeup, notes that if the case actually does get anywhere, it could create a massive nuisance for anyone who uses Linux. But he also points out how incredibly short-sighted the lawsuit is:
What's even stupider about this lawsuit is that comments in the database encourage people to buy the book. So even if Astrolabe owns the copyright to the facts about time zone rules—a troubling proposition—their republication in the Olson database increases the likelihood that they'll make money off it.Once again, however, we see copyright holders thinking that you should pay them to advertise their works.
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1. Don't count on it
2. Better not tell you now
3. My source says no
4. Most likely
5. It is decidedly so
Well, Magic eight ball doesn't lie...
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Not just Linux
Given that none of these (which redistribute the database) seems to have been named in the lawsuit, it is possible that these lawyers had no idea what they were messing with.
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Re: Not just Linux
Even if they’re not directly targeted in the lawsuit, I can see a horde of these groups who use the database descending on the court with amicus briefs.
Open Source has friends. Don’t make those friends angry. You won’t like them when they’re angry.
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Re: Re: Not just Linux
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Re: Re: Re: Not just Linux
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well done!
Every single person who works for Astrolabe is guilty of criminal filthy acts and deserves to be thrown into a tiny pit and forgotten about.
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Re: well done!
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Re: Re: well done!
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Won't go anywhere
I'm curious what TAA thinks they sold and Astrolabe thinks they bought. TAA may claim copyright ownership of some text file they have, but it can't be zone.tab because that would be copyfraud. Or they may not claim copyright ownership, but just sold a copy of zone.tab to Astrolabe (which is legit; you can charge money for a work in the public domain) and Astrolabe got stiffed on the deal.
Either way, Olson et al got their copy of TAA's data legitimately and are distributing it legitimately, and any work that you base on it is also legitimate.
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You do?
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Re:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/67760407/ASTROLABE-INC-Vs-ARTHUR-DAVID-OLSON-and-PAUL-EGGERT-Comp laint
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Re:
We do now. Somehow forgot to add it.
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Reading between the lines
I do think it's an odd message for a publisher of an almanac to promote. I wonder if they've stopped to think about it.
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Legal defense fund?
Where to send donations...
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Re:
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Re: Re:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyfraud
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyfraud#cite_note-Copyfraud-NYULR-0
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Re: Re: Re:
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Magic prediction
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Remember...
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Re: Remember...
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Re: Remember...
"There is a sucker born every minute"
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Re:
astrolabe
astrolube
I do agree that astrolabe will need lots of astrolube when this is done!
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Re: Re:
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Boycott Astrolabe!
Write them and call them. Ask them why they've been naughty. Tell them you're going to tell everybody how bad they've been and use the B word (boycott). Unless they are much more sinister than they appear, they will buckle. Fast.
How do they expect to run an ecommerce site without a global time infrastructure? Duh.
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Re: Boycott Astrolabe!
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Re: Re: Boycott Astrolabe!
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It is never the original company, the one that just sold something, that starts this kind of lawsuit. Probably because they know exactly what they sold and they know there is no case.
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Re: Wig
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The reaction starts
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Set up a mirror!
If you want to set up a mirror yourself, to help spread around the data all over the world, have a look here:
http://github.com/canbuffi/tzmirror
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Astrolabe suit due to competition over Terran Atlas
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http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2011/10/16/8350714-time-zone-database-has-new-home-after-laws uit
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Astrolabe thinks it can own facts ?
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Or does lack of copyright protection only work if it's related to something you don't agree with like astrology?
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Re:
This isn't about astrology.
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Hope the court dismisses it's stupid claims.
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