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Copyright law on "recommended book lists"?

Through a friend of a friend I obtained a set of lists of recommended children's literature, broken up into multiple categories -- alphabet books, poetry books, wordless books, etc. A professor at a public (if it matters) university compiled the lists. I contacted the professor to see if he would allow me to distribute the list to my moms group and also asked if he would provide the list in electronic form. I was surprised when he asked me not to do this because "it would not be fair to the students who paid to take [his] class". Is a list of available books covered by copyright law? There are no reviews of the books -- simply a listing of the title, author, publisher, and year of publication. . .but as mentioned above the list is broken into categories. Any advice/wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. The printed or published (even in electronic form) document itself is protected by copyright. The information in it is not. The unique (if it is unique) method of classification and presentation may or may not be. Confused? So is the law. If you really need to know, consult an intellectual property attorney.
2. Protection under copyright law rests on something called "original authorship." A compilation, such as a recommended book list," can be protected under copyright law if it contains a new work of authorship. Keep in mind that the threshold for authorship is relatively low -- what the U.S. Supreme Court calls "a modicum of creativity." Generally speaking, a modicum of creativity in the selection, arrangement, and/or coordination of data is sufficient for protection under copyright law. From what you describe, the professor's recommended book list is likely protected under copyright law. In this case, original authorship was involved in deciding which books to include, which categories to use, and in what order to present the books within the recommended book list. More information concerning compilations can be found in the Copyright Office circular linked below regarding derivative works. http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.html