[mythtv-users] tv guide line-up free

[Rod Roark]

> Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:58:26 -0400
> From: "Michael T. Dean" <mtdean at thirdcontact.com>
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] tv guide line-up free
> To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
> Message-ID: <46DC3D32.6050608 at thirdcontact.com>
...
> For only $15, I'm getting 3 months of my TV listings free:
> 
>   - free of concern about the legality of the automated use of the
> listings service
>   - free of concern about the legality of copying potentially
> copyrighted data into my database (definitely copyrighted when talking
> about SD data)
>   -- free of concern about breaking terms-of-service agreements by
> "repurposing" listings paid for by purchasing certain hardware or  other
> services

SD is not without its own legal constraints.  See:

    http://www.schedulesdirect.org/sagreement

and compare with, for example:

    http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P500012

Which do you think is more restrictive?  (hint: which one lets me use
whatever the hell software I feel like using?  Which one has an
indemnification clause creating new liability for the user?)

I have to confess that I have mixed feelings about SD.  On one hand
it's a noble effort filling a great need, but on the other hand I see
some conflict of interest with its evangelists being the same people
driving the open source applications that use it.  I don't think it's
right for those people to be discouraging and demonizing the scrapers
(one of which I happen to have have just authored), which also share
the Free Software mindset.  Let each have its own niche, without
gratuitous disparagement.

Rod