MATTHEW BENDER & CO., INC.. v. WEST PUB. CO. Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A publisher included “star pagination” (page numbers from a competitor’s case reporters) in its CD-ROM product. The court held this was not copyright infringement because the page numbers lacked originality and did not reproduce the competitor’s protected arrangement in a “fixed” copy.
Legal Significance: This case significantly limited copyright protection for compilations post-Feist, holding that internal page numbers are unprotectable facts. It established that a database does not “copy” a protected arrangement if a user must manipulate the data to perceive that arrangement.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
Defendant-appellant West Publishing Co. (“West”) publishes judicial opinions in printed case reporters. These compilations feature a specific arrangement of cases and include West’s original, copyrightable additions such as headnotes and key numbers. The resulting volumes are the standard for legal citation, using volume and page numbers. Plaintiff-appellee Matthew Bender & Co. (“Bender”) created a competing CD-ROM product containing judicial opinions. Bender sought to embed “star pagination” into the text of its opinions—citations indicating where the page breaks occur in West’s corresponding printed volumes (e.g., *104). West sued for copyright infringement, claiming this practice would allow users of Bender’s product to perceive and reconstruct West’s protected arrangement of cases, thereby creating an infringing “copy” of the compilation’s creative element. Bender’s product stored cases chronologically by court and date, but its search software allowed users to jump to specific West citations. West alleged this functionality facilitated the infringement of its copyrighted arrangement.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does the inclusion of star pagination, which references the page numbers of a copyrighted print compilation, in a competing electronic database constitute copyright infringement of the print compilation’s protected arrangement?
No. The inclusion of star pagination does not infringe West’s copyright. The Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non pro
IRAC Legal Analysis
About IRAC analysis
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the structure professors expect in exam answers. Each LSD.Law brief states the issue, the governing rule with citations, the court's application of that rule, and the conclusion - the same reasoning pattern you will use on exams and in practice.
Legal Issue
Does the inclusion of star pagination, which references the page numbers of a copyrighted print compilation, in a competing electronic database constitute copyright infringement of the print compilation’s protected arrangement?
Conclusion
The decision solidifies the post-Feist "thin" protection for compilations, clarifying that unoriginal Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitatio
Legal Rule
Copyright protection for a factual compilation extends only to its original elements Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui offici
Legal Analysis
The court's analysis centered on the principles established in *Feist Publications, Inc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur ad
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- Star pagination does not infringe copyright because internal page numbers lack