Legal Research

More on: Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) Copyrighted Material

?Boing Boing points us to a bit of unfortunate business between the State of Oregon and two sites, Justia and Public.Resource.Org, that post copies of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS).

Though Oregon does not claim a copyright in the statutory text itself, it has long claimed a copyright over the ?arrangement and subject-matter compilation?, the prefatory and explanatory notes, the leadlines and numbering for each statutory section, the tables, index and annotations,? etc.

Dropping those items, especially the numbering, leadlines and notes, would put a serious crimp in the usefulness of the ORS to these sites. It looks like Justia and Public.Resource.Org are fighting the take down request.

Read more at Boing Boing, and check out the documents at Public.Resource.Org?s Oregon Legislative Counsel Scribd site. Documents currently available:

State of Oregon, Notice of Copyright Infringement and Demand to Cease and Desist

Public.Resource.Org, 4/13/2008 Reply to Legislative Counsel of the State of Oregon

Public.Resource.Org, 4/15/2008 Letter to Legislative Counsel of the State of Oregon"

Full post as published by Oregon Legal Research on April 17, 2008 (boomark / email).