intellectual property in the US: Who owns baseball stats?

[Ike]

from /.


"A sports fantasy league company has asked a federal court to decide whether baseball statistics belong in the public domain as history or are the property of major league baseball. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/15/baseball.stats.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest) Basically, they had been licensing the statistics for nine cents (US) per gross from the Major League Baseball Players Association. But MLB recently bought the rights to be the sole licensor and has refused to renew the license of the fantasy league company. From the article: 'Major League Baseball has claimed that intellectual property law makes it illegal for fantasy league operators to commercially exploit the identities and statistical profiles of big league players.' What does the Slashdot community think? Shoud Barry Bonds' record 73 single season homeruns be in the public domain, or should I worry about having to pay royalties for the first part of this compound sentence?"

[OU Adonis]

Lids website

C : <enter> # #

(Sorry lid, couldn't resist)

[skycat]

from /.

That's just nucking futs.:mad:

[OUDoc]

The company says baseball statistics become historical facts as soon as the game is over, so it shouldn't have to pay for the right to use them.
I agree.
Just adjust all the stats upward by 0.001 and claim they're fictional stats.

[skycat]

MLB and RIAA. Two organizations that know how to build good will with the constituencies that make their jobs possible.

[Ike]

I agree.
Just adjust all the stats upward by 0.001 and claim they're fictional stats.


heh. or just don't adjust them and claim they are purely the products of random generators and that any agreement with the actual MLB stats is purely coincidental.

[yermom]

heh. or just don't adjust them and claim they are purely the products of random generators and that any agreement with the actual MLB stats is purely coincidental.

it works for NCAA video games :rolleyes:

[yermom]

MLB and RIAA. Two organizations that know how to build good will with the constituencies that make their jobs possible.

imagine if the NFL did something similar... i can't even estimate how many people i know watch the NFL just to get stats for their players in fantasy leagues

with all the crap going on in baseball they don't need to be ****ing off the 5 fans they still have ;)

[GottaHavePride]

How did I miss this? It seems to me that anyone with enough time on their hands could re-compile every single one of those freaking stats. All it takes is a calculator and he ability to watch every single game and record the numbers. There's no way in hell you can argue intellectual property on a mathematical process, and if someone is already paying (through a cable or satellite company) for the privilege of watching the games, you can't really stop them that way either. So the only way MLB can get what they want is to never show another game on tv, and not let any fans or reporters in the stands.

[soonerscuba]

So the only way MLB can get what they want is to never show another game on tv, and not let any fans or reporters in the stands.

Oh man that would be sweet.