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EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

eff.org

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Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#21

Post by carbocation »

bhickey wrote: post #13
marshray wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If anyone should be punished, it's the lawyers who enabled them to persist in this course of action. Perhaps basic facts can't be copyrighted, but sometimes collections of facts are given some protection. The telephone directory is a classic example. Given the sincerity of the apology, I think it was a honest mistake and a welcome example of the legal system working the way it should. At least after EFF is on the cas…

You have your example backward. Feist v. Rural held that telephone books are not subject to copyright. Just because something was laborious to compile does not make it copyrightable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feist_v._Rural

In the US.

In Europe, the law differs. Specifically, 'sweat of the brow', rejected by Feist in the US, is a factor in Europe: http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/database.html#directive

Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#24

Post by gnucarsmell »

dylanvee wrote: post #19

Dr. Eggert is a lecturer at UCLA, and a fantastic one at that (not to mention a huge contributor to various GNU projects). This quarter I have the pleasure of taking his Operating Systems class, and last year I got to take Programming Languages taught by him. I'm really happy about this outcome because people like him should never have to have their brilliance tempered by patent trolls.

Long time lurker here. Finally made an account to back up my man Professor Eggert! What an awesome guy and a great teacher. His classes are insanely hard: you cried, you contemplated suicide, then homicide, then you LEARNED... A TON. I wish he would record his lectures and put them up for the world to see.

Also I'm glad to see my membership fees being put to good use. Also, "hello world."

Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#25

Post by brazzy »

jakejake wrote: post #23

I'm really glad this has been resolved. Now I just wish there was an easier way to use the database. Have you ever had to code something with timezone awareness..? It's kinda nuts.

I've had to do that in Java and found the API perfectly usable, more so with Joda Time. That may be different for your platform. But what's really nuts is the domain itself, like most where history and politics are involved.

Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#26

Post by dylanvee »

gnucarsmell wrote: post #24
dylanvee wrote: post #19

Dr. Eggert is a lecturer at UCLA, and a fantastic one at that (not to mention a huge contributor to various GNU projects). This quarter I have the pleasure of taking his Operating Systems class, and last year I got to take Programming Languages taught by him. I'm really happy about this outcome because people like him should never have to have their brilliance tempered by patent trolls.

Long time lurker here. Finally made an account to back up my man Professor Eggert! What an awesome guy and a great teacher. His classes are insanely hard: you cried, you contemplated suicide, then homicide, then you LEARNED... A TON. I wish he would record his lectures and put them up for the world to see. Also I'm glad to see my membership fees being put to good use. Also, "hello world."

Excellently put! I've spent so many nights holed up in the library, staring at a dozen lines of some esoteric programming language and cursing UCLA Engineering, but it all turned out to be incredibly valuable and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#28

Post by andyjohnson0 »

jacques_chester wrote: post #8
mattdeboard wrote: post #5

I love the apology because it sounds exactly like the apology of a man (or organization) who has had it explained to him exactly what a very very bad position his activities have put him in. Really like seeing a complete apology unlike the "We apologize if we caused any discomfort..." ambivalent BS we see all the time.

I've seen those referred to as "Notpologies": http://skepticlawyer.com.au/2012/02/23/the-notpology/

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-apology_apology

Re: EFF Wins Protection for Time Zone Database

#30

Post by rmc »

jonhendry wrote: post #12
polemic wrote: post #3

Seems like now would be a good time to: https://supporters.eff.org/join , https://supporters.eff.org/donate or https://supporters.eff.org/shop

True. But to be honest, the apology and climb down were pretty decent too. All too often these things are dragged out and fought tooth and nail, to nobody's benefit but the lawyers. Which is to say, the astrology people seem to be pretty decent folks about it, not SCO-type bipedal hagfish in 3-piece suits, or Rightshaven-style copyright sharks with a business model based on IP lawsuits. If I knew anyone who were into…

Eh? They shouldn't have done it in the first place…
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