Alarm in US over database antipiracy bill

摘要

Legislation aimed at strengthening the intellectual property protection of commercial databases is moving quickly through the US Congress, alarming many science advocates who say it will have a chilling effect on the free flow of information among academic researchers. The Collections of Information Anti-piracy Act (HR 2652), sponsored by Howard Coble (Republican, North Carolina), passed the House of Representatives with little debate in May. A Senate counterpart, S 2291, was introduced by Rod Grams (Republican, Minnesota) this month, and is scheduled for hearings in the autumn.