By Mike Masnick on TechDirt:

A Copyright Lawsuit Over Dinosaur Bones

from the public-domain? dept

TheOldFart alerts us to this bizarre case of a copyright lawsuit over dinosaur bones. Apparently, a research institute, The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, claims that it made a casting of some famous T-Rex bones (the actual bones are at the Field Museum in Chicago). It then copyrighted the casting. It’s now suing Fort Peck Paleontology, to whom the Black Hills Institute says it lent the castings a few years ago — never to receive them back. However, it’s upset that Fort Peck is now selling replica bones based on the castings, and Black Hills says that these are “unauthorized” copies. Of course, I’m still trying to figure out how you can copyright the casting, seeing as the entire thing is based on the bone — an artifact of nature.