Legal protection for train timetables (e.g. copyright protection)

L

Long Lizard

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On Irish Rail's website, there is a page that links to downloadable timetables. (Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to post the URL.) The page makes the following claim:
No part of these timetables may be copied, transmitted or stored in a retrieval system or used in any form for commercial or promotional purposes without the written permission of Iarnród Éireann.​
Is this claim legally valid? For example, if someone created a website which presented the timetable information in a more attractive format, would he be breaking the law?

Also, does it make a difference how much of the information is displayed at any one time? For example, if it's illegal to display all the times for a station, is it illegal to display all the times that fall within a specified hour?
 
As this is essentially a commercial issue it has been moved from Askaboutlaw to Askaboutbusiness.

Why dont you simply write to IRódÉ and ask them for permission.

I imagine they are worried about the integrity of the data and the possiblity of wrong or out of date information appearing on third party web sites.
 
You've hit a particularly interesting area of law.
The issue is the applicable test to obtain copyright protection. This is determined by whether material is "original" or not. The most relevant decision in Ireland is the Supreme Court decision of Gormley v EMI from 1997. This set an arguably fairly low test to enjoy copyright and so depending on the judge and how s/he interpreted that decision, it might be decided that said material does enjoy copyright protection.
The issue is that European and international jurisprudence has developed somewhat since then (15 years is a long time in the internet age) - and it is unlikely to be protected under more modern case-law.

It may enjoy database protection - which has a lower threshold. Though it would appear that this is not the case following recent decisions in the European Court of Justice.

Upshot of all that is that if you pushed it far enough, it is unlikely to enjoy copyright protection. The issue is whether you can push it that far...
 
Facts can't be copyrighted.

The actual timetable, as an expression of a fact, can be copyrighted, so you can't, for example, reproduce the timetable on another website.

But you can extract the data you want and publish it yourself.
AFAIK.

Ryanair do not rely on copyright when they sue "screen scrapers", rather they rely on the breach of terms & conditions for using the Ryanair.com website.
 
sean.c said:
Facts can't be copyrighted.

The actual timetable, as an expression of a fact, can be copyrighted, so you can't, for example, reproduce the timetable on another website.

But you can extract the data you want and publish it yourself.
AFAIK.

Ryanair do not rely on copyright when they sue "screen scrapers", rather they rely on the breach of terms & conditions for using the Ryanair.com website.
Click to expand...

Sean, your answer seems logic and reasonable. Is there a precedent test case you know of which supports this?
 
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