Legal obligation of publisher to supply new publications

[rogue_librarian]

It's not a hard legal requirement yet. The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 introduced a framework in which the Secretary of State may make regulations for the deposit of non-print works. No such secondary legislation has been passed yet, to the best of my knowledge.

Pending the implementation of formal regulations, the British Library is keen to encourage voluntary deposit of online or “pure electronic” items, though.

[helen_1454]

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

It's not a hard legal requirement yet. The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 introduced a framework in which the Secretary of State may make regulations for the deposit of non-print works. No such secondary legislation has been passed yet, to the best of my knowledge.

Pending the implementation of formal regulations, the British Library is keen to encourage voluntary deposit of online or “pure electronic” items, though.

Thank you!

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by pholy

So the grocery list might still be copyrighted by its creator... I think. But I doubt that the legislators really intended it. Sometimes they forget that laws are the program code for society.

I doubt that if it ever came down to an infringement suit (which it wouldn't) a grocery list would qualify as an "original work of authorship" under the US Copyright Act.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

I doubt that if it ever came down to an infringement suit (which it wouldn't) a grocery list would qualify as an "original work of authorship" under the US Copyright Act.

I believe it would depend on the intent of the list, believe it or not.

Suppose, for example, that a weight loss company sold a booklet that included a grocery list of specific foods to eat to comply with their weight loss program. It might require a title, such as, "The Excelsior Weight Loss Grocery List," to qualify... and the list would probably have to be unique enough to make it unlikely that it would be duplicated by other sources. That could be held under copyright, and anyone who copied and redistributed it would do so against copyright law.

Obviously, this is more extensive than your typical home "milk, 1 dozen eggs, butter, cheese" grocery list, which would not be granted copyright in the U.S..