“No one can own the law” – United States confirms copyright protection does not extend to works of legislators or judges
On 27 April 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court) handed down its decision in Georgia Et Al v Public Resource Org, Inc. We set out what happened, what the Supreme Court found, the implications of the decision and we look at whether a similar principle applies in Australia. The Supreme Court held that works authored by legislators in their legislative capacity were ineligible for copyright protection. The decision extends the United States “government edicts doctrine” which embodies the principle that “no one can own the law”.
read more…