Australian High Court Says Electronic TV Guide Isn't Copyright Infringement

from the good-news! dept

Wed, Apr 29th 2009 1:03pm — Mike Masnick

Back in 2006, an Australian TV network, The Nine Network, sued a startup, IceTV, for creating an electronic program guide that listed out when TV programs played for use in programming DVRs and such. It was difficult to see how a simple listing of TV program info could be infringement, but an Australian court disagreed, saying that the networks owned their own scheduling info. Luckily, however, Phill informs us that Australia's high court has overturned the lower court ruling, saying that creating your own TV program guide without licensing the info is perfectly legal. It's sad that it had to take nearly three years for this conclusion, but at least it's the right result.

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Filed Under: australia, copyright, tv guide
Companies: icetv, nine network

11 Comments

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Anonymous coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 1:46pm

Europe as well
A group called VG Media in Germany, which represents several major private broadcasters, is actively sueing both print and electronic program providers for listing their programs and not paying an exorbitant "licensing" fee...the world has gone mad.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 2:36pm

Wouldn't a tv programming schedule be considered fact to an extent? I thought you were unable to claim copyright on facts...
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- Analyst (profile), 29 Apr 2009 @ 2:41pm
  
  Re:
  Exactly
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 2:46pm
  
  Re:
  But the schedule is subject to change so its not exactly a fact just highly probable.
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  - neil, 29 Apr 2009 @ 5:47pm
    
    Re: Re:
    um no!
    facts can change look at the law of gravity it was a fact that gravity worked on Newton's law but then Einstein shattered it.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 6:07pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      It's all relative
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- Mike (profile), 30 Apr 2009 @ 12:16am
  
  Re:
  Wouldn't a tv programming schedule be considered fact to an extent? I thought you were unable to claim copyright on facts...
  
  In the US, yes. In many other countries they have "database rights" which allow you to get a copyright on a "collection of facts" such as an entire TV listing...
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 6:08pm

It would be funny if one would publish their schedule.
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Apr 2009 @ 6:55pm
  
  Re:
  It would be funny if NO one would publish their schedule.
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Yeebok (profile), 1 May 2009 @ 10:17pm

What worries me ...
Is that given the quantity of viewers 9 has over here it's damned unlikely there'd be enough people using the service to make the time spent re-presenting the data worthwhile.

9 does air 'a current affair' and 'today tonight'. Check them out for an example of tabloid TV..
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wefr, 22 May 2009 @ 10:47pm

111China printing industry developed this years, who can tell us? China based plastic injection molding services with low costs and supeior quality Steel and aluminum scaffolding for construction is a very useful tool.
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