I'm not Regis, but I have no doubt that the final answer is along the lines of "E".

King's chapters are copyrighted works. They belong to him. To pirate his material without permission, authority, or compensation is simply wrong.

The rules which apply to King's content also apply to the listing data collected at great cost by brokers. Broker data is copyrighted material. It's an asset that has value today and can produce a stream of income tomorrow. Even though broker listings may be found online -- like Mr. King's chapters -- they are not in the public domain.

The latest twist to the broker data debate concerns H.R. 354, the Collections of Information Antipiracy Act. This bill not only addresses the issue of data theft, it also provides clear remedies -- civil suits, temporary and permanent injunctions, impounding stolen data, and monetary relief.

Much has been made within the brokerage community of the fact that the National Association of Realtors supports H.R. 354, as though NAR is the only organization that wants to see the bill enacted.

But the fact is that many groups -- including associations which sometimes have competing agendas -- back the legislation.

As an example, according to the Coalition Against Database Piracy, its members include the American Medical Association; The McGraw-Hill Companies; the National Association of Securities Dealers; the Newsletter Publishers Association; the Newspaper Association of America; the New York Stock Exchange; Phillips Publishing International, Inc; Reed Elsevier Inc.; Silver Platter Information, Inc.; Skinder-Strauss Associates; the Software and Information Industry Association; the Thomas Publishing Company; The Thomson Corporation; and Warren Publishing, Inc.

Why are so many groups supporting database protection?

The legislation, says the Newspaper Association of America, "provides newspapers and other database owners the much-needed federal protection to fill in the gaps created by existing legal remedies. It provides federal mis-appropriation protection to database owners whose databases -- or collections of information as they are referred to in the bill -- are copied, in whole or in substantial part, without permission. It imposes liability only when unauthorized use causes harm, and it offers librarians, researchers, scientists and educators significant relief from liability in most situations. "

Online piracy is quick, simple and easy -- but that doesn't make it right. As U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan recently explained, "the excitement of ready access to untold quantities of information has blurred in some minds the fact that taking what is not yours and not freely offered to you is stealing."

Save Money Financing & Refinancing

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Question Of The Week

Q If I make a full-price offer for a property does not the seller have to accept?

A The purchase of real estate is a complex matter that involves far more than price. Any condition of the offer may be grounds for rejection -- say the settlement date, deposit size, seller "contributions," etc.

That said, if price is not an issue, then what is? It may be that minor adjustments in an offer or counter-offer can finalize the sale.

For details, speak with a broker or attorney, as appropriate.

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