RE: [dvd-discuss] Copyright ranges

["Glendon M. Gross" <gross(at)xinetd.ath.cx>]

No doubt your intellectual property is growing by leaps and bounds.  :)

Do you need a means to ensure that the output of the script is not already
copyrighted by someone else?
(Can you imagine how much paperwork would be generated if each and every
time the script was run,
it submitted an online query to the U.S. Copyright office?)

For example, the old concept was that eventually the digital "monkeys" would
type out the complete
works of Shakespeare.  In that unlikely event, would those works cease to
belong to the
public domain?  :)

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
[mailto:owner-dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu]On Behalf Of Thomas Olsson
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 3:52 AM
To: dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
Subject: RE: [dvd-discuss] Copyright ranges


In article <E06ADA0073926048AD304115DD8AB6BC01239726@mail.onetouch.com>,
Richard Hartman <URL:mailto:hartman@onetouch.com> wrote:
>
> [snip]
> > So the output "inherits" the rights attached to the input, if
> > the process
> > can be viewed as a conversion? Interesting.
>
> All theory mind you, my own view of what _should_ be, not
> necessarily what _is_.

I see. A simple rule like that would certainly make it easier to determine
what rights you hold.

> [snip]
>
> I do not see how the output of a search engine could
> possibly qualify as "artistic expression".  Those programs
> that spew out poetry and music might have an argument,
> but a search engine?  It's like copyrighting your shopping
> list (which is, unfortunately, possible IIRC ...)

As a few people have noted, they might mean the page style etc., basically
everything except the results.

But if I copied their results only, and served them up in a style I had
created, I'm pretty sure they would still view that as some kind of
infringement.

> > I am fascinated by the idea that you can publish and
> > copyright billions
> > of permutations of output, just by writing a script. I have
> > already got
> > a suitable script that demonstrates the stupidity of that,
> > but I need more
> > information about the laws to perfect it.
>
> I would be interested in seeing that script.  What have
> you called it?  "MillionMonkeys.pl" perhaps ?
>
> ;-)

That's an apt name, but this one is called "poems", since that is what
it retrieves. I have tried to make it very similar to how Google works.
So if they really have copyright on their results, then I have too.

By requesting any of these poems, you hereby waive the right to attempt
reverse engineering the script that retrieves them. Please press your nose
against the screen here--> [I accept] before proceeding.

Here are some examples of the poems I've made, I hope you like them:

http://www.armware.dk/cgi-bin/poems/CfBG9mI2tHD.GInGyj474
http://www.armware.dk/cgi-bin/poems/JrIwdu94jioJOIW083jj0
http://www.armware.dk/cgi-bin/poems/BSwxV1Umfaogz2VDnrK43LD1xs6

Feel free to try other filenames... who knows, you might find another of
my poems! Just remember that they are all copyrighted. :-)

Regards,
Thomas

--
	9876543210  Magic tab-o-meter.		http://www.armware.dk/
         ^
     The opinions expressed herein may not reflect official RIAA policy.