Syzygy - 4:27 am on Jun 25, 2008 (gmt 0)

I've never seen something so simple become so clouded and confused! Such is the nature of the subject matter I suppose.

A newspaper runs a snippet of statistical data: "5% of all cats hate their owners". A magazine reports on a survey of growth in fmcg and quotes that "the rise in the consumption of chocolate bars continues at £5 million per household per quarter".

Another source - a magazine, another newspaper, a TV show - wants to use that information. Where are the copyright issues exactly?

The media has been doing it since statistical data was first bandied about in its pages. Publications love to publish 'factoids' - little snippets of information, usually statistically based - to add interest to features and articles.

I've done it for years in magazines. Also, actually I've seen statistical data that I've produced being freely reproduced from one media channel to the next, so I've seen at first hand how statistical information can spread. It's the way things are.

Some research companies make fortunes doing exactly as jmorgan described in his original post and in-house marketing depts, analysts, reporters, authors and a plethora of others do it!

There are no issues in the context described!

Syzygy