Alteration is not a prerequisite to obtaining a renewed database right. Substantial investment is the only relevant factor. In contrast to database copyright, database right can protect the content of the database. The form of compilation is only relevant to determining the existence of the right, not what it protects. The importance of the data to the user must be considered in assessing the 'substantiality' of the information extracted or reutilised.
Databases are dynamic.
Amendments do not create new databases, although the duration of protection does depend on when relevant data initially formed part of the database. This case is of great significance to database owners and users, as it confirms that database right and copyright are distinct, and can be asserted in distinct circumstances. Copyright may be seen as the more substantial right as it subsists for 70 years after the death of the right holder. Database right subsists for only 15 years after the year of investment. Investment, which is tangible, is generally easier to establish than creativity, which is not.