Re: GNU Free Database License

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   >   Writing all those definitions in the dictionary requires
   >   creativity, so you get copyright on the dictionary.

   >It is about as creative as listing phone numbers and names

   This is a very odd view.  Have you ever tried producing good
   definitions for words?

Yes, I do it each day, it is called naming functions.

   >I don't have any references, but I seem to recall that only the
   >"presentation" of a dictionary can be copyrighted

   I would not advise putting any faith in this claim.

It wasn't a claim.

   If it were true, you would easily be able to find the definitions
   from, say, the OED freely available online, which is not the case.

The OED is a bit more than a list of word and definitions.  There are
also other things in the OED that can actually be copyrighted.