On Sun, 2 Sep 2007 17:44:40 +0200 Arnoud Engelfriet wrote: > Francesco Poli wrote: > > Can anyone more knowledgeable than me on these topics shed some > > light, please? > > The main question is: do I really need a copyright license to use, > > modify and/or redistribute such a (published) database? > > If the selection of the data that was put in the database involved > creative activity by its maker, then yes you need a copyright license. > If the database was created by a European company, then you need > a license under its database right. (No database rights for US > publishers) > > You do not need a license from the database publisher to create > a program that can read databases in the format used by that database. > A format or structure is a mere idea or concept and is not covered > by copyright. > > If you have to sign an NDA before you get a copy of the database, > then you can't create a free or open source program that can read > that database format. That would be leaking of confidential > information.
Thanks for the answer, Arnoud. Shriramana, which category does the database you need belong to? P.S.: I am a debian-legal subscriber, so please do not Cc: me, as I didn't asked anyone to do so... Thanks. -- http://frx.netsons.org/doc/nanodocs/testing_workstation_install.html Need to read a Debian testing installation walk-through? ..................................................... Francesco Poli . GnuPG key fpr == C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12 31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4
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