Re: [Fsfe-uk] [OT-ish] Government food data

[Philip Hunt]

On Tuesday 08 November 2005 21:28, Graham Seaman wrote:
> Graham Seaman wrote:
> > The actual reply from HMSO was:
> >
> > "The Composition of Foods 6th Edition is available as follows:
> >
> > a) in printed format - published by the Royal Society of Chemistry,
> > price £45;
> > b) in electronic format - as an excel spreadsheet, price £75 -this
> > version is held by HMSO. (The Nutrient Databank i.e. Composition of
> > Foods 6th Edition + Supplements is £300 - see attached list)
> >
> > To re-use the information from either of the above you require a
> > licence and an annual royalty/fee would be charged. The charge would
> > be dependant on the amount of information being re-used."
>
> After some more discussion with HMSO (who I suspect are unhappy about
> the idea of me approaching them via my MP, which I suggested), they've
> agreed I can have a free license to use and redistribute the
> carbohydrate data only. That probably isn't all I 'll need in the end
> (I'm still learning about how diabetes works), but it seems like a good
> start. I know it lets the HMSO off the hook, since they can say they
> haven't changed their policy (what they're allowing is just the
> equivalent of fair use quotation, but in the context of database rights
> rather than traditional copyright),

What if you collate data from various sources? Theree are multiple sources
giving the nutritional values of foods, and if you use data from many of
them then surely you are not breaking copyright law, but merely doing
research? (IANAL)

-- 
Philip Hunt, address@hidden