Different from copyright. Copyright protection is for original selection and arrangement of facts. It is statutory protection for non-original material, prohibiting the extraction of a substantial part of any database that reflected significant investment. Protection of data itself is 15years from availability, renewal with each update - gives infinite lifespan. Locus-specific databases could receive both protections.
Computer databases are new, a new way of handling information.
Whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Current copyright law protects expression, not facts. Without protection, small projects will die. Since the European Union has protection, the rest of the world needs this. Clinton administration in favor of it.