High Court Copyright Clash Raises Law Access, Democracy Issues

A copyright dispute over Georgia’s annotated legal code could have broad consequences for access to legal materials nationwide, lawyers and interest groups warn ahead of a Dec. 2 U.S. Supreme Court argument.

The justices, after granting the state’s appeal, will for the first time in over 100 years weigh the limits of the “government edicts doctrine.” It bars copyrights in statutes and judicial decisions.

However they rule will impact how people access legal materials, both sides in the case and the groups backing them said.

Small law firm practitioners are especially concerned about the access question, warning that “when states ...