In the European Union, Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases provides protection for the intellectual creation that is a database, plus protection for the "sweat of the brow" effort of making such databases (that is also for the non-intellectual effort).
Such rights have been considered and may well exist in other jurisdictions.
An EU information page exists on this topic. In part it says:
1. This Directive covers databases defined as "a collection of independent works, data or other materials arranged in a systematic or methodical way; and individually accessible by electronic or other means".
2.The Directive provides
- copyright protection for the intellectual creation involved in the selection and arrangement of materials;
- sui generis protection for an investment (in human and technical resources and effort and energy) in the obtaining, verification or presentation of the contents of a database.
3. ... ...
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