Football Dataco Ltd & Ors v Yahoo! UK Ltd & Ors [2010] EWCA Civ 1380 (09 December 2010)

Football Dataco Ltd & Ors v Yahoo! UK Ltd & Ors [2010] EWCA Civ 1380 (09 December 2010)

The Court of Appeal determined that the subsistence of copyright in football fixture lists under Article 3 of the Database Directive is not acte clair and requires interpretation by the CJEU. The Court held that no sui generis right subsists in fixture lists under Article 7, following clear CJEU precedent. The Court also expressed doubt that national copyright rights in databases can exist outside the Directive but referred this question to the CJEU for clarification.

Citation
[2010] EWCA Civ 1380
Parties
Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: Football Dataco Ltd; Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: The Football Association Premier League Ltd; Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: The Football League Ltd; Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: The Scottish Premier League Ltd; Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: The Scottish Football League; Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant: PA Sport UK Ltd; Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent: YAHOO! UK Ltd; Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent: Stan James (Abingdon) Ltd; Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent: Stan James plc; Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent: Enetpulse APS
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
09 December 2010
Procedural Posture
Appeal From Chancery Division (intellectual Property) / Reference to CJEU on Questions of Law
Outcome
Reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Article 3 of Directive 96/9/EC and the possibility of national copyright rights in databases.
Legal Topics
Database Directive, Copyright in Databases, Sui Generis Database Right, National Copyright Law, Fixture Lists
Intellectual Property Copyright Law European Union Law Database Directive Copyright in Databases Sui Generis Database Right National Copyright Law Fixture Lists

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Parties

Football Dataco Ltd

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

The Football Association Premier League Ltd

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

The Football League Ltd

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

The Scottish Premier League Ltd

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

The Scottish Football League

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

PA Sport UK Ltd

Respondent/claimant/cross Appellant

YAHOO! UK Ltd

Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent

Stan James (Abingdon) Ltd

Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent

Stan James plc

Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent

Enetpulse APS

Defendant/appellant/cross Respondent

Procedural Posture

Appeal From Chancery Division (intellectual Property) / Reference to CJEU on Questions of Law

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether football fixture lists attract copyright protection under Article 3 of Directive 96/9/EC
  2. 2 Whether a sui generis database right subsists in football fixture lists under Article 7 of Directive 96/9/EC
  3. 3 Whether national copyright rights in databases can exist outside the Directive

Ratio Decidendi

The Court of Appeal determined that the subsistence of copyright in football fixture lists under Article 3 of the Database Directive is not acte clair and requires interpretation by the CJEU. The Court held that no sui generis right subsists in fixture lists under Article 7, following clear CJEU precedent. The Court also expressed doubt that national copyright rights in databases can exist outside the Directive but referred this question to the CJEU for clarification.

Court Disposition

Reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of Article 3 of Directive 96/9/EC and the possibility of national copyright rights in databases.

Orders

  • Questions referred to the CJEU regarding the meaning of 'author's own intellectual creation' in Article 3(1) of Directive 96/9/EC and whether the Directive precludes national copyright rights in databases.