[CodesInChaos]

I took a closer look at this database and library.

The actual patterns are very simple and standardized:

* The base-case is checking if a certain byte-string can be found within a given offset range * patterns form a tree where at all patterns from the root to one leaf need to match, which amounts to a restricted form of expressing "AND" and "OR" expressions

So it looks like there is very little space for originality in expressing these patterns.

* It doesn't appear to be a curated database, but rather aims for completeness (i.e. the selection or arrangement shouldn't be covered by copyright) * Mime types and extensions are also very simple facts which can't be expressed in an original way * The human friendly format allows a bit more freedom, but is still quite limited

IANAL, but I'd guess this database is not copyrightable in the US, but protected in the EU since it recognizes database rights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_right