ALA Voices Opposition to
Database Protection Bill
James Neal, dean of university libraries at Johns Hopkins University, testified March 18 before a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Collections of Information Antipiracy Act. The bill (H.R. 354) is a revised version of legislation, dropped last year, that gives copyright protection to databases even when the individual contents are in the public domain.
Neal—appearing on behalf of ALA and four other library groups—said he appreciated new provisions that address some of the concerns raised during last year's debate. He concluded, however, that if the legislation is enacted in its current form it would fundamentally change the research enterprise and how researchers use information and at what cost.
"The approach taken in H.R. 354 could lead to a licensing framework where facts, government information, and other information could not be used without permission and with additional costs for each use," noted Neal, who indicated that a more narrowly tailored bill would have widespread support in the library, education, and commercial sectors.
Posted March 29, 1999.
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