Legal Definitions - Feist doctrine

The Feist Doctrine is a legal rule that states that a collection of facts that lacks originality cannot be protected by U.S. copyright law. This means that if someone compiles a list of facts that anyone could gather with minimal effort, they cannot claim exclusive rights to that list.

For example, if someone creates a phone book by simply copying and pasting information from other sources, they cannot claim copyright protection for that phone book. This was the case in Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service Co., where the Supreme Court ruled that Rural Telephone Service Co. could not claim copyright protection for their phone book because it lacked originality.

The Feist Doctrine is important because it promotes the free flow of information and encourages creativity and innovation. It ensures that copyright protection is only granted to original works that require skill, creativity, and effort to create.