Microdecisions, Inc. v. Skinner
Encyclopedia
Microdecisions, Inc. v. Skinner, 889 S.2d 871 (Fla. 2d Dist. App. 2004), was a case before the Florida Second District Court of Appeal
concerning whether the Collier County, Florida
Property Appraiser could require prospective commercial users of the records created in his office to first enter into a
licensing agreement. The court concluded that he may not. In the decision, the court held that "Skinner has no authority to assert copyright protection in the GIS maps, which are public records." In support of this, the court held that the "Florida public records law ... overrides a governmental agency's ability to claim a copyright in its work unless the legislature has expressly authorized a public records exemption." This was a Florida District Court of Appeal decision, but the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear the case and ordered the State (Skinner) to pay Microdecisions' attorney's fees for challenging the firm's use of the state's work.. United States Supreme Court also declined to hear the case.
The case was cited as providing the main reasoning for the County of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment Coalition
decision by the 4th District of the California Courts of Appeal.
Florida Second District Court of Appeal
The Florida Second District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida and has a branch in Tampa.-History:The initial territorial jurisdiction of the Second District, with its headquarters in Lakeland, encompassed twenty-eight counties, ranging from Lake County in the north, to Collier...
concerning whether the Collier County, Florida
Collier County, Florida
Collier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 251,377. The U.S. Census Bureau 2007 estimate for the county is 315,839...
Property Appraiser could require prospective commercial users of the records created in his office to first enter into a
licensing agreement. The court concluded that he may not. In the decision, the court held that "Skinner has no authority to assert copyright protection in the GIS maps, which are public records." In support of this, the court held that the "Florida public records law ... overrides a governmental agency's ability to claim a copyright in its work unless the legislature has expressly authorized a public records exemption." This was a Florida District Court of Appeal decision, but the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear the case and ordered the State (Skinner) to pay Microdecisions' attorney's fees for challenging the firm's use of the state's work.. United States Supreme Court also declined to hear the case.
The case was cited as providing the main reasoning for the County of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment Coalition
County of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment Coalition
County of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment Coalition was a case before the California Courts of Appeal dealing with the ability of a local California agency to limit the disclosure of, or require license agreements for, public records and data requested under the California Public Records...
decision by the 4th District of the California Courts of Appeal.
See also
- Copyright status of work by the Florida governmentCopyright status of work by the Florida governmentUnder Florida's Constitution and its statutes, Florida's public records are not permitted to claim copyright unless the legislature specifically permits it...
- County of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment CoalitionCounty of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment CoalitionCounty of Santa Clara v. California First Amendment Coalition was a case before the California Courts of Appeal dealing with the ability of a local California agency to limit the disclosure of, or require license agreements for, public records and data requested under the California Public Records...
- County of Suffolk v. First American Real Estate Solutions, 261 F.3d 179 (2001)