RULING ON DATABASE RIGHTS

The British Horseracing Board has won a landmark judgment against William Hill in the High Court. It ruled that the bookmaker was breaking the law by using information from the Board’s database – lists of runners in races – without the Board’s consent. The dispute centred on the lists of runners posted by William Hill each day on its Internet betting site. The Board, which is the governing authority for the racing industry, maintains a database of information on horses, owners, trainers and jockeys costing some £4m a year to run. Some £1m is recouped by charging fees to third parties for the use of the information.