(DWM Magazine) On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard arguments in the copyright-infringement lawsuit against public-records activist Carl Malamud, who is being sued by ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). All three develop standards used in the fenestration industry.
The suit, originally filed in August 2013, claims that Malamud and the organization he leads, Public.Resource.org, violated the Copyright Act by copying and posting standards that have been incorporated into laws such as building codes. The organizations contend that copyright protection is essential for their work because it takes a lot of money and effort to draw up codes. They also state that the standards they develop are “necessary for a well-functioning economy and a safe society.” Additionally, the organizations say they already have “policies for providing interested members of the public access to standards known to have been incorporated by reference into statutes and regulations.” Read More >
