In the United States, some state governments and legal publishers claim copyright of public laws or certain publications of public laws. It has long been established that edicts of government are not to be subject to copyright protection in the U.S., but copyright protection for the selection and arrangement of published law may remain possible, at least in some jurisdictions. The primary incentive for state governments is the ability to charge for copies of the law or legal annotations. This is a list of the hindrances to accessibility, copyright or otherwise, on the legal codes of U.S. states.
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Georgia, 2015
In July 2015, Georgia sued activist Carl Malamud of Public.Resource.org for distributing "The Official Code of Georgia Annotated," asserting copyright over the laws.
Oregon, 2008
In April 2008, Oregon asked Justia to remove copies of the Oregon code from its website, citing that the particular publication of the law, as distinguished by features like introductory paragraphs and page numbers, was copyrighted. Following negative media attention, the state issued a special waiver promising not to enforce the copyright against Justia or Public.Resource.org, but did not change its policies regarding the accessibility of its laws to others.