Subject: Re: URGENT-Defeat Database Leg. Today
patricem@RTK.NET
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 11:18:59 -0500
Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 11:18:59 -0500 From: patricem@RTK.NET Subject: Re: URGENT-Defeat Database Leg. Today To: roundtable@cni.org References: <s5581469.028@ALAWASH.ORG> Message-Id: <Chameleon.894989035.patrice@patrice.rtknet.org>
Please excuse any duplicate postings.
Patrice
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Patrice McDermott
patricem@rtk.net
OMB Watch/Public Access Working Group
Date: 05/12/98
Time: 11:18:59
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ALAWON Volume 6, Number 46
ISSN 1069-7799 May 12, 1997
American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
In this issue: (76 lines)
DANGEROUS DATABASE LEGISLATION ON HOUSE FLOOR TONIGHT;
ASK FOR A -NO- VOTE TODAY ON H.R. 2652
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ULTRA-URGENT:
DANGEROUS DATABASE LEGISLATION-H.R. 2652-ON HOUSE FLOOR TONIGHT;
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IMMEDIATELY AND
ASK FOR A -NO- VOTE TODAY ON H.R. 2652, THE COLLECTION OF
INFORMATION ANTIPIRACY ACT.
BACKGROUND: LATER TODAY, May 12, the House of Representatives
will debate and vote on H.R. 2652, the Collection of Information
Antipiracy Act, under a procedure that requires it to pass with a
two-thirds majority usually reserved for non-controversial bills.
H.R. 2652 is backed by the relatively small, but very powerful,
group of companies of the Information Industry Association (e.g.,
West Publishing, Reed-Elsevier and others).
They are seeking sweeping new legal protection for databases that would
restrict access to and excerpting of their factual compilations, even if
those compilations did NOT qualify for copyright protection.
Moreover, the definition of a protected database in the bill is
so broad that almost any collection of information --even if
entirely gathered from the public domain --would be entitled to
this new protection. The legislation contains no meaningful fair
use-type exceptions.
Accordingly, H.R. 2652 is strongly OPPOSED by ALA, every other
major national library and educational organization, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Research
Council, the Information Technology Association of America, MCI,
AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, and the several hundred member companies
of the Commercial Internet Exchange.
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WILL VOTE ON H.R. 2652 TONIGHT.
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED:
Because H.R. 2652 must pass the House with two-thirds of the
vote, this over broad and unjustified bill could be defeated by
fewer than 150 Representatives!
* PLEASE CALL THE CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD IMMEDIATELY AT
202-225-3121;
* Ask for your member of the House of Representatives by name;
* Once connected, ask for the staff member who handles
copyright issues;
* Please tell them that you OPPOSE H.R. 2652 and that you urge your
Representative to VOTE A -NO- ON H.R. 2652 when it comes to the
House floor later today;
* Please refer them to the ALA Washington office for more details
(202-628-8410).
_________________________________________________________________
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Lynne E. Bradley, Editor <leb@alawash.org>
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Contributors: Adam M. Eisgrau
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