A lot of companies sell CD "directories" or "phonebooks" of U.S businesses.

Are business name lists like this available in the public domain and
you just have to gather all of the data and put these business
directories together?

If I was to build a business directory web site for a specific
industry, would I be able to use some of the information in these
directory CDs if the information is in the public domain.

If not, is there a way to buy a list of busniess names for a
particular industry to use for such purposes?

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 20 Aug 2004 08:50 PDT

I've looked into this issue a bit in the past, and here's my
understanding of things.

Phonebook type information is not copyright-protected.  If you could
amass a list of business address and phone numbers, you're free to use
it as you see fit.  However, that DOESN'T give you the right to, e.g.,
buy a CD of a directory, and re-assemble the information into a new
form for your own use, since the CD probably comes with licensing
restrictions that specifically prohibit such re-use.

FCC rules requires directory-assistance providers to make available
phone-book information to other companies with a legitimate need for
the info, and at a fair price.  Exactly what this means, though, is a
bit of a mystery to me -- who has a "legitimate need" and what
constitutes a fair price?

Given that as a background, can you tell us a bit more specifically
how we can help?

pafalafa-ga