Common Cause - Page 22




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               As we discussed above, producing an intangible in tangible             
          form is necessary for the exploitation of the intangible.                   
          Mailers that order petitioner's list on magnetic tape, instead              
          of, for example, on Cheshire labels, still receive only the one-            
          time right to mail to the names and addresses on the rental list.           
          It appears to us that the medium itself is of little or no value            
          to the mailer without the information it contains.  Moreover, the           
          provision of the list on various media is also customary within             
          the mailing list industry and consistent with the rental of a               
          mailing list for one-time use only.  Accordingly, we conclude               
          that Triplex's activities in printing a copy of petitioner's list           
          on the medium chosen by the mailer are royalty-related                      
          activities.                                                                 
               Special selections are the means by which a mailer further             
          narrows the types of individuals and entities whose names will              
          appear on the list that the mailer orders.  Certain mailers may             
          prefer a list consisting of only the names of female donors,                
          while others may prefer only the names of individuals or entities           
          within a specific State or ZIP code.  The essence of a mailer's             
          order is the one-time right to use a portion of petitioner's                
          mailing list.  We conclude that there is no significant                     
          difference between, on the one hand, the rental of a list                   
          consisting of all of the names of petitioner's supporters and, on           
          the other hand, the rental of a list consisting of only                     





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Last modified: May 25, 2011