Volume III

Issue : 18: October 20, 2005

• Virginia City Provides High-Speed Internet over Power Lines
• Privacy Commissioner Releases Annual Reports on Canadas Federal Privacy Statutes
• Estonia First Country to Provide Nation-wide Voting over the Internet
• Japanese Court Finds Publishing News Headlines is Copyright Infringement
• Eminem Sues Over Ring Tones
• Schwarzenegger Signs Bill on Violent Video Games
• Missouri Traffic Tracking Plan Raises Privacy Concerns
• Philadelphias Wi Fi Contract Awarded to EarthLink Inc.
• Illinois Municipality Sues Internet Travel Brokers for Failing to Remit Hotel Occupancy Taxes
• B.C. Court of Appeal Rules Mere Online Publication Not Synonymous With "Actual Malice" for Defamation Purposes

Home > Volume III > Issue 18: October 20, 2005 > Japanese Court Finds Publishing News Headlines is Copyright Infringement

Japanese Court Finds Publishing News Headlines is Copyright Infringement

In early October, a Japanese court ruled that using newspaper article headlines on the Internet without permission infringes copyright. The case was brought by Japan’s most widely-read newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun. The defendant, Digital Alliance, was a small company also based in Japan. The damage award was $2,000.00. Although the amount was nominal, the ruling has sparked concern among commentators who have noted that if other countries start to take this approach regularly, it would have serious ramifications for the dissemination of information on the Internet. In particular, search engines and numerous sites that provide some form of headline aggregation could be held to be infringing copyright.

For additional information, visit:

http://news.com.com/2061-11199_3-5892643.html