South Carolina
How Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc. applies in South Carolina: state-specific rules, key cases, and bar exam notes for Copyright.
South Carolina follows the principles established in Feist Publications by emphasizing the originality requirement for copyright protection. In particular, the state applies the idea-expression dichotomy to ensure that merely factual compilations do not qualify for copyright unless they exhibit sufficient originality.
In South Carolina, copyright protection is extended only to works that possess a minimal degree of creativity and originality, in line with the Feist decision.
The court held that factual compilations without creative input do not warrant copyright protection.
The South Carolina court ruled that the originality standard articulated in Feist applies to the state's copyright claims regarding compilations.
This case affirmed that effort or labor alone does not satisfy the originality requirement needed for copyright in South Carolina.
South Carolina's treatment of copyright issues generally aligns with federal standards derived from Feist. However, the state may interpret the originality requirement with slight variances based on local precedents that emphasize artistic expression in certain types of compilations.
Candidates should be aware of Feist's principles regarding originality and the treatment of compilations, as these concepts are frequently tested in South Carolina's bar exams.