From: Steve Summit <scs(a)eskimo.com>
There may be no artistic input, but some will claim that they
deserve protection for all the work they did tracking down the
old map and making the scan. To be lily-white, it can be argued
that you're supposed to track down an original copy of the old
map yourself, and make your own scan.
I am not a lawyer.
In "Feist Publication Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co. Inc." the
Supreme Court of the United States said:
"the Constitution mandates originality as a prerequisite for
copyright protection..."
"there is nothing remotely creative about arranging names
alphabetically in a white pages directory..."
"The primary objective of copyright is not to reward the labor of
authors, but "[t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,"
and, finally
"Copyright rewards originality, not effort. As this Court noted more
than a century ago, 'great praise may be due to the plaintiffs for
their industry and enterprise in publishing this paper, yet the law
does not contemplate their being rewarded in this way.'"
Did I mention that I am not a lawyer?