Copyright Decision In Australia Vindicates 3d-Party EPG Provider

angry tapir writes "In a landmark decision, the High Court of Australia has ruled that Electronic Program Guide (EPG) vendor IceTV has not violated the copyright of Channel 9 by reproducing programming information in its third-party EPG. This case has been running since May 2006, when the Nine Network alleged that IceTV's electronic program guide infringed the copyright of Channel 9's television schedule."

This is great

[Hecatonchires]

IceTV provide a decent product, and the big companies were trying to stifle it while they faffed around. Good to see them win.

suddenbreakoutofcommonsense Justified

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't copyright a fact.

To think anyone could argue over that for three years...

This suit has always been ridiculous.

[Jane Q. Public]

Facts, per se, are not copyrightable. A schedule is a collection of facts. Once published, the schedule is basically public information. As long as it is not a straight copy of wording and style, they never had a case.

Re:It was ridiculous in the first place!

[AbRASiON]

I equate charging for a TV guide to the same thing as charging me for the price list of a store, it's lunacy.

Re:Idiotic

[MichaelSmith]

What are channel9 complaining about... More people having access to their programming? Surely that's a good thing

Not if they don't sit down and watch the advertisements.

Re:Train timetables

[Richard_at_work]

The big issue with the FunkWorks ruling is that train times are not facts, they are fiction. Complete and utter fiction. And therefor fully copyrightable :)