Canada Post has filed a lawsuit against GeoCoder.ca over GeoCoder’s crowdsourced ’Canadian Postal Code Geocoded Database’. The case will involve complicated questions over the extent of copyright and ability of copyright infringement to be filed against independent production.
This case highlights attempts by copyright holders to ever expand the scope of their ‘rights’ at the expense of the Canadian public.
GeoCoder is accepting donations for their legal defense fund at their website.
GeoCoder’s press release: http://geocoder.ca/?sued=1
Michael Geist comments on the case: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/6415/125/
Easy win for GeoCoder.ca…
Canada Post is a Crown Corporation thus anything they make is under crown copyright. Crown Copyright can and should be virtually treated as public domain so long as the person doesnt use things made under Crown Copyright to deceive the public.