Pursuant to the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997, which came in force on January 1st 1998, items added on to databases – whether electronic or not – are protected by copyright as "works"' in their own right. So, for example, even if single citations of facts do not enjoy copyright protection, they collectively as a compilation of many facts may enjoy protection as literary works, databases or compilations. Although prior to 1998 it was possible to protect databases as compilations (e.g. telephone directories) – i.e. into which sufficient effort, judgement and taste has been applied – it was not until the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) was amended in 1998 that specific provision was made for the protection of databases by copyright.
