Code Revision Commission et al v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc.

Filing 17

STIPULATION of Facts by Code Revision Commission, State of Georgia. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit A, #2 Exhibit B, #3 Exhibit C, #4 Exhibit D, #5 Exhibit E, #6 Exhibit F, #7 Exhibit G, #8 Exhibit H, #9 Exhibit I, #10 Exhibit J, #11 Exhibit K, #12 Exhibit L, #13 Exhibit M)(Askew, Anthony)

EXHIBIT C

PUBLIC.RESOURCE.ORG ~ A Nonprofit Corporation
Public Works for a Better Government

May 30, 2013
Hon. David Ralston
Speaker of the House
Georgia House of Representatives
332 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Mr. Wayne R. Allen, Legislative Counsel
Office of Legislative Counsel
Georgia General Assembly
3021 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Dear Speaker Ralston and Mr. Allen:
I am pleased to enclose for your consideration a George Washington USB Thumb Drive
containing a scanned version of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated as well as XMLencoded versions of the code. Our purpose in making these statutes available is to
promote access to the law by citizens and to promote innovation in ways the statutes
are made available so that public servants, members of the bar, citizens, and members
of the business community have ready access to the laws that govern them.
Access to the law is a fundamental aspect of our system of democracy, an essential
element of due process, equal protection, and access to justice. The Supreme Court of
the United States has repeatedly reaffirmed this principle, stating for example in Banks
v. Manchester (128 U.S. 244, 1888) that “the authentic exposition and interpretation of
the law, which, binding every citizen, is free for publication to all, whether it is a
declaration of unwritten law, or an interpretation of a constitution or a statute.”
The fact that there is no copyright in the law has been affirmed as a statement of
policy by the United States Copyright Office which stated “Edicts of government, such
as judicial opinions, administrative rulings, legislative enactments, public ordinances,
and similar official legal documents are not copyrightable for reasons of public policy.
This applies to such works whether they are Federal, State, or local as well as to those
of foreign governments.”
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have and look forward to better
access to the law by the citizens of Georgia.
Sincerely yours,

Carl Malamud
Public.Resource.Org

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