Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 10:51:17 -0800 (PST) From: patl@phoenix.volant.org To: Rob <drifter@stratos.nospam.net> Cc: questions@FreeBSD.ORG, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: The FreeBSD Dictionary Message-ID: <ML-3.3.920487077.9067.patl@asimov> In-Reply-To: <19990303045313.B1500@net>
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> This might sound like a stupid question, but how is it possible > to "copyright" a dictionary? I(c) mean(c), they(c) don't(c) own(c) > the(c) words(c), do they? They don't own the words; but they do own the wording of the definitions. It requires quite a bit of research to ensure that you have the proper pronunciations, etymology, and definitions. There is also a lot of work involved in compiling, typesetting, and proofreading. By protecting the details of the result, the copyright protects the effort of the compilers. > At the very least, it would seem that Webster's would be hard- > pressed to prove that somebody "stole" their word list. Not at all. Different dictionaries have different lists of words. They tend to intersect quite a bit; but there are sufficient differences to be detectable. This should be particularly apparent in the choice of which obsolete or rarely used words and meanings are included. (Map makers tag their maps with intentional small mistakes to detect just this sort of copyright infringement.) -Pat To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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