2004), was a case before the Florida Second District Court of Appeal concerning whether Abe Skinner, the Collier County Property Appraiser could require prospective commercial users of the official GIS records created in his office to first enter into a licensing agreement.
[1] While no one disputed the GIS maps were public record, Skinner argued they were protected by federal copyright law.
In the decision, the court held that "Skinner has no authority to assert copyright protection in the GIS maps, which are public records.
"[3] Additionally, the Court confirmed "Florida's Constitution and its statutes do not permit public records to be copyrighted unless the legislature specifically states they can be.
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