Thank you Kevin. I'm not sure which article you are referencing. I've written so much on the subject.

You are right. The town clerk should have been applauded. She needs laws to support her in protecting the community. Laws against bulk release can accomplish this. The individual files belong to the public in general but the whole database should belong to the community that created it. For many of the local counties, the collection of records filed are the single largest asset the community has. Generations of local citizens contributed their documents and taxes to build this database for the benefit of their community. Their is no benefit to the community when this asset is seized by those outside the community who claim it is their asset under the law.