Telstra calls on Attorney-General over copyright

The High Court's latest decision will have Telstra and other owners of directory businesses queuing up to talk to Attorney-General Robert McClelland. The court declined to give Telstra's directories division, Sensis, leave to appeal a full bench Federal Court decision earlier this year that Sensis does not hold copyright over its Yellow Pages and White Pages directories.

Telstra's Federal Court loss was on a breach of copyright action brought against a competitor, Phone Directories Company, which had transcribed Sensis directory information, and sold its own directories with display advertising.

Sensis said after the latest decision that it continued to hold copyright on artwork, display advertising and other elements of the Yellow and White directories. The decision only affects the line listings in the directories, in other words. But they are the bedrock of the business, and Telstra is being punished for working out how to squeeze more earnings out of them by automating production.

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