Michael Perelman wrote: >----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- > > In other cases, one would have to > search harder to find a justification. >California and 47 other states have building codes that are copyrighted by >one of three nonprofit organizations. The federal government requires U.S. >physicians to use a medical billing code that's owned by the American >Medical Association. The National Fire Protection Association's >copyrighted 900-page electrical code is in force, in one form or another, >in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Guam. In all of these cases, people >are expected to follow public laws, which are also private intellectual >property. A printed copy of the California Building Code costs $738 >(Balint 2001). Legal challenges are underway, but they have not succeeded >so far. copyrighted--and expensive--public documents. Lovely. Then there is this from "Realising the Vision:A HISTORY OF COPYRIGHT AGENCY LIMITED 1974 ? 2004" by Peter Meredith (http://www.copyright.com.au/corporate/HOC.pdf) Nearly 1500 years ago St Columba, Scotland?s most famous saint, was at the centre of a copyright wrangle that ended on an Irish battlefield. Born in about 521 in County Donegal, Ireland, Columba was either an O?Donnell or an O?Neill. As a monk, he indulged his passion for books, making copies of Psalters (collections of psalms), Bibles and other manuscripts for fellow monks. When one of his former teachers, a monk named Finnian, brought from Rome the first copy of St Jerome?s Psalter to reach Ireland, Columba couldn?t resist borrowing it and secretly making a copy. Finnian discovered what Columba had done and demanded the copy. When Columba refused to oblige, Finnian arraigned him before the court of King Diarmaid. The king ruled against Columba, pronouncing, ?To every cow her calf and to every book its son-book. Therefore the copy you made belongs to Finnian.? Aggrieved, Columba goaded his family and clan into declaring war on the King?s clans. During a climactic battle in 561, which the O?Donnells won, some 3,000 men died. So remorseful was Columba over this that he resolved to spend the rest of his life in exile converting as many souls to Christianity as had been killed in the battle. He departed for Scotland at the age of 44 and founded a monastery on the island of Iona. In his old age he spent many hours daily copying books and documents and was working on a Psalter when he died. John C. M?daille