[dogma1138]

In the US, other copyright laws do allow you to copy right a database or any other compiled work, as long as there was work that was conducted in order to create it.

This means that if you compile a database of open source material the database itself can we protected by copyright even if all of it's content is not protected by any copyright and is in the public domain.

This is why for example in the UK a phonebook can be protected by copyright but not in the US.

[jellicle]

> as long as there was work

Not work. Creativity. Big difference.

[njharman]

Do not think of laypersons idea of what creativity means. Legal definition of creativity is so broad there is very little difference. If human did it and it wasn't strictly a mechanical process (like copying), if any decision / choice was made that is "creativity".

The integer sequence 78, 34, 56, 99, 23 is creative enough for copyright (probably, don't know for certain until judge(s)->SCOTUS says so)