North Carolina
How Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc. applies in North Carolina: state-specific rules, key cases, and bar exam notes for Copyright.
North Carolina law generally aligns with the principles established in Feist regarding copyrightability, emphasizing the requirement of originality in protecting compilations and databases. Specifically, North Carolina courts have followed the federal standard by requiring some degree of creativity or choice to qualify for copyright protection.
In North Carolina, compilations must exhibit a modicum of creativity, with the organization or selection of data sufficient to meet the originality threshold as established in Feist.
The court ruled that a compilation of telephone directory information lacked sufficient originality for copyright protection, following the precedent set in Feist.
The court held that a database must present original and creative elements beyond mere data compilation to qualify for copyright protection.
The court reinforced the requirement of originality in educational data collections, aligning with Feist's emphasis on creative input.
North Carolina's copyright principles mirror the federal standard established in Feist. Thus, North Carolina courts emphasize the creativity requirement for compilations in accordance with federal copyright law, ensuring consistency in how originality is assessed at both state and federal levels.
The principles from Feist are essential in North Carolina copyright law and could appear in questions relating to originality and the protectability of compilations on the North Carolina bar exam.