Source: http://copyright.lib.harvard.edu/states/florida/
Timestamp: 2018-10-20 01:17:00
Document Index: 223799905

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 24', '§ 119', '§ 24', '§ 119', '§ 24', '§ 601', '§ 1004', '§ 943', '§ 373', '§ 119', '§ 215', '§ 331', '§ 119', '§ 286', '§ 286', '§ 257', '§ 28', '§ 119', '§ 24', '§ 119', '§ 24', '§ 601', '§ 1004', '§ 943', '§ 373', '§ 119', '§ 215', '§ 331', '§ 257', '§ 119', '§ 286', '§ 286', '§ 28', '§ 119']

Florida (current page)
Openness Score: 3.29
A Florida court held in Microdecisions, Inc. v. Skinner, 889 So. 2d 871 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2004) that public records may not be copyrighted. This decision interpreted the Sunshine Amendment to the state constitution, Fla. Const. art. I, § 24, and the Florida Public Records Law, Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.01, to preclude copyright of state documents, unless the state code elsewhere explicitly allows for copyright protection. This was the second decision nationally, after the Second Circuit's analysis of New York law, to address the copyright status of government documents, and was the first to declare state documents to be public domain.
Numerous Florida Attorney General opinions affirm the public domain status of specific public domain records. See, for example, Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 03-42 (2003) (Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps not copyrightable); Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 88-23 (1988) (videotapes of training sessions created by the state attorney's office); Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 00-13 (2000) (state agencies require specific statutory authorization to obtain trademarks as well as copyrights).
The right to access public records has been included in the Florida constitution since the Sunshine Amendment was passed in 1992. Fla. Const. art. I, § 24. Florida's oldest public records law was enacted in 1982. The current public records law can be found at Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.01.
The Microdecision case as well as several others have held that the purpose of a public records request is immaterial under the public records law. Microdecisions, Inc. v. Skinner, 889 So. 2d 871, 875 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2004); News-Press Publ'g Co. v. Gadd, 388 So. 2d 276, 278 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1980); Lorei v. Smith, 464 So. 2d 1330 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1985). Furthermore, a commercial purpose does not change this determination. State ex rel. Davis v. McMillan, 49 Fla. 243, 38 So. 666 (1905).
Public domain by judicial decision County geographic information system (GIS) maps [1] Microdecisions v. Skinner, specific topic of litigation; Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 03-42 (2003)
Public domain by judicial decision Trial judge pronouncements unless otherwise covered by designated exception Miami Herald Publ'g Co. v. State, 363 So. 2d 603, 605 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1978)
Public domain by state Attorney General Opinion Videotapes of training sessions created by the state attorney's office Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 88-23 (1988)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by the Department of the Lottery Fla. Stat. Ann. § 24.105(10)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by the Department of Citrus Fla. Stat. Ann. § 601.101
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by Florida public universities Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1004.23(1)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by the Department of Law Enforcement Fla. Stat. Ann. § 943.146(2)(a)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by Florida water management districts Fla. Stat. Ann. § 373.608(1)
Copyrightable by statute Department of Health data released subject to a data-use agreement Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.0712(1)(d)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by the State Board of Administration, on behalf of the Florida Retirement System Fla. Stat. Ann. § 215.4701
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by Space Florida Fla. Stat. Ann. § 331.355
Copyrightable by statute data processing software created by a state agency Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.084(2)
Copyrightable by statute Intellectual property owned by the Department of State; all copyrights held by state agencies to be administered by Department of State Fla. Stat. Ann. § 286.021; Fla. Stat. Ann. § 286.031
Exempt from public records disclosure Records donated to the state archives under special terms or conditions; exemption is removed 50 years from date of creation Fla. Stat. Ann. § 257.38(4)
Since the Florida courts require an explicit grant of copyrightability in order for the state to hold copyrights, many statutes do explicitly provide for state copyright, as seen in the examples above.
One Florida statute refers to court records as "property of the state of Florida," Fla. Stat. Ann. § 28.24. It is unclear if this would count as explicit authorization under Microdecision.
Florida law also provides for recovery of unlawfully withheld records, stating, "Whoever is entitled to custody of public records shall demand them from any person having illegal possession of them, who must forthwith deliver the same." Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.021(4)(b).
The State Archives of Florida states that all material transferred to their custody under a Deed of Gift becomes the property of the Archives. State Archives of Florida, Collection Development Policy.
Florida Attorney General Opinions, available at http://myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions.
Florida State Archives, available at http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_Researchers.cfm.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Florida, available at http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp/orders/docs/ogg/FL.pdf.
Fla. Const. art. I, § 24, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/Index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A1S24.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.01, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.01.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 24.105, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0024/Sections/0024.105.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 601.101, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0600-0699/0601/Sections/0601.101.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1004.23(1), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1004/Sections/1004.23.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 943.146(2)(a), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0900-0999/0943/Sections/0943.146.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 373.608(1), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0373/Sections/0373.608.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.0712(1)(d), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.0712.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 215.4701, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0215/Sections/0215.4701.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 331.355, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0331/Sections/0331.355.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 257.38(4), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0257/Sections/0257.38.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.084(2), available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.084.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 286.021, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0286/Sections/0286.021.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 286.031, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0286/Sections/0286.031.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 28.24, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0028/Sections/0028.24.html.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 119.021, available at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0119/Sections/0119.021.html.
Microdecisions, Inc. v. Skinner, 889 So. 2d 871 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2004), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14794839515464311974.
News-Press Pub. Co. v. Gadd, 388 So.2d 276, 278 (Fla. 2d DCA 1980), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3783964339172841546.
Lorei v. Smith, 464 So.2d 1330 (Fla. App. 1985), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3092324505281719297.
State ex rel. Davis v. McMillan, 49 Fla. 243, 38 So. 666 (1905).
Miami Herald Pub. Co. v. State, 363 So. 2d 603, 605 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1978), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7277966918395972500.
Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 03-42 (2003), available at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions/2639579AB297311D85256D970046709F.
Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 88-23 (1988), available at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions/1B04633CF595FEFE85256572004F7925.
Op. Att'y Gen. Fla. 00-13 (2000), available at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions/D075E0A97B38D2288525688E005B1F59.
State Archives of Florida, Collection Development Policy, available at http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/archives/collectionPolicy.cfm. See also archived version.