Database Protection Bill Resurfaces... (fwd)

[Heiko Recktenwald <UZS106@ibm.rhrz.uni-bonn.de>]

FYI. Please excuse any duplicate postings.

<das sag ich auch>

Taken from Benton's news service

BILL ON PROTECTING DATABASES RESURFACES IN HOUSE

Representative Howard Coble (R-NC) <http://www.house.gov/coble/>
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on
intellectual property, has introduced legislation (H.R.354)
that has re-ignited a debate on how to balance protection of
databases and preserving access to information in the public
domain. Companies have sought the legislation for some time so
they can protect public domain information they compile,
catalogue and resell. Opponents to the legislation say it will
create electronic toll gates to information that is now widely
available free on the Internet -- from scientific research to
stock quotes, telephone and e-mail listings, even directories
of Internet domain names. Rep Coble says his new bill strikes a
balance between the two sides:  "The balance provides adequate
protection to insure there is an incentive for companies to
invest in the development of collections of information,
without inhibiting members of the scientific, library and
research communities from carrying on their work."  A coalition
of more than 100 companies, education institutions, nonprofit
and trade associations signed a paper given to the committee
that said the proposal remained too broad, and would change the
basic information policy of the country. The Clinton
Administration has echoed their concerns.

[See <http://www.house.gov/judiciary/sub106.htm> for a list of
the subcommittee members]

[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Jeri Clausing (jeri@nytimes.com)]

<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/19data.html>

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