NSW Premier intervenes with RailCorp

in brief New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has asked Transport Minister David Campbell to intervene in a stand-off between software developers and state transport corporation RailCorp about use of government data.

RailCorp recently threatened a Sydney software developer, and reportedly others, with legal action if they failed to withdraw train timetable applications that mashes up publicly available RailCorp data with user-friendly devices such as Apple's iPhone.

"I've asked Minister Campbell to speak to RailCorp," Rees wrote on his official Twitter page late last week. "They will meet with the app developers to negotiate how to use the info accurately."

As a government body, RailCorp information is protected by Crown copyright, a contentious provision in copyright law that has recently been used to block attempts to access information on the location of Victoria's bushfires and even such information as the locations of public toilets.