Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Company, Inc. (1990)
- Docket
- 89-1909
- Decided
- 1990-01-01
Summary
Question: Does the copyright in a telephone company's directory protect the names, towns, and telephone numbers copied by another telephone directory company? Conclusion: No. In a 9-0 opinion delivered by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court held that the names, towns, and telephone numbers copied by Feist were not original to Rural and therefore were not protected by the copyright in Rural's combined white and yellow pages directory. The Court reasoned that Rural's white pages did not satisfy the minimum constitutional standards for copyright protection because the information they contained lacked the requisite originality, as Rural had not selected, coordinated, or arranged the uncopyrightable facts in any original way. "Because Rural's white pages lack the requisite originality, Feist's use of the listings cannot constitute infringement," wrote Justice O'Connor.