EFF Wins Protection For Time Zone Database 71
First time accepted submitter TempestRose writes "The trials and tribulations of the time zone database sued by an astrology software company are finally over. From the article: 'The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is pleased to announce that a copyright lawsuit threatening an important database of time zone information has been dismissed. The astrology software company that filed the lawsuit, Astrolabe, has also apologized and agreed to a 'covenant not to sue' going forward, which will help protect the database from future baseless legal actions and disruptions.'"
You won this time EFF, but I'll get you next time! (Score:5, Interesting)
which will help protect the database from future baseless legal actions and disruptions.
From them maybe. The current warfare of the patent/copyright system has come to a point where, even if one line of defense does not seem to work, companies are free to pursue a different course of action and see if they cannot get different results. Hence why, to many, the current system is broken. It simply is no longer being used for the reason for which it was created.
Re:whooo (Score:5, Interesting)
It's a bit tricky. Since the database is copyrighted (Your arrangement of the data) but the data itself isn't, it's illegal to copy the database and use it without permission, but it's legal to make your own Database containing all the same facts.
I think what most Database authors do is that they put bogus data entries into their database and if they can find their entries in someone elses database, they can show that it's a copy rather then a independent work.
Not good enough (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh gee, thanks. They promise not to sue again. I'm sorry, but I don't accept this whole "We made a mistake" argument. If a parent sits there watching their child tap dance in the middle of a raging bonfire, "I made a mistake" isn't going to cut it. Said parent would be charged with criminal negligence.
The company and their lawyers had an obligation to perform their due diligence. They didn't, and in the process of following their greed they turned the life of an innocent developer into a living hell and threatened a critical piece of global architecture.
Both the company and their legal counsel should be counter-sued into a black hole.
Re:Donate (Score:5, Interesting)
I donated for the first time when the whole SOPA thing was the pressing matter. I'll probably donate again today.
The EFF matters. Their core beliefs match mine more so than most of the places I donate to.
I'm a geek, and they do good for geeks. That's good enough for me.