The CJEU ruled that topographic maps may fall within database protection under Directive 96/9 (full text here). The dispute concerned the use by Verlag Esterbauer, an Austrian travel books publisher, of certain topographic maps published by the Land of Bavaria. In particular, Verlag Esterbauer scanned the maps and extracted the underlying geographic data with a graphics programme to produce and market its own maps dedicated to walkers and cyclists.

According to the Court, the concept of “database” must be interpreted widely, as collections of works and/or other data, in any form, without technical or material restrictions, therefore applying also to analog databases. Indeed, the Court stressed the “functional” nature of database protection and its aim at fostering investment in data processing systems.

The main requirement of a database under Art. 1(2) of Directive 96/9 is the existence of “independent materials”, i.e. separable without affecting their value. Independent materials can also consist of combination of pieces of information, if they have autonomous informative value after being extracted. This may be the case of geographical information (e.g., “geographical coordinates point” plus “the numbered code used by the map producer to designate a unique feature, such as a church”), as long as the extraction of such data from the map does not affect their autonomous value. Under the broad definition of database, this autonomous value shall be assessed vis-à-vis the degree of interest of third parties to the extracted material, irrespective of the fact that such value might diminish after the extraction.

The Court found that in the captioned case: (i) Verlag Esterbauer made an autonomous commercial use of the information extracted from the Land of Bavaria’s maps, and (ii) it provided its customers relevant geographical information. Thus, such geographical information constitutes “independent material” from a database.

It seems all too evident that the Court, in line with its settled case-law (see our comments on the Ryanair case here), keeps broadening the notion of database under Directive 96/9 with the aim of further protecting investments in the information market.

Francesco Banterle

CJEU, 29 October 2015, Case C-490/14, Freistaat Bayern v Verlag Esterbauer GmbH