WV Tax Maps Online; County Assossor Sues

This story broke last week and just made it to Slashdot. I tracked it back to the press release from Public Citizen, a non-profit public interest organization. There are a few steps here, so let’s start at the beginning:

Seneca Technologies filed a Freedom on Information Act lawsuit to gain access to West Virginia’s tax maps from the Department of Tax and Revenue. The company won and was charged $20 for the data as opposed to the $225,648 the state wanted. (Total maps: 28,206 TIFs)

Seneca posted the maps on its website.

Kanawha County Tax Assessor Phyllis Gatson is suing Seneca saying its breaking copyright and doing economic damage, as that county sells the maps for $8 a piece. Public Citizen represented Seneca in court last Friday.

via Slashdot