[mythtv-users] Myth Developers ban all use of MythTV as a PVR due to IP infringement?

kijuhty kijuhty kijuhty at gmail.com
Fri Sep 7 00:56:21 UTC 2007


MythTV's core developers that now are part of SD seem to have done a
complete 180, and it is so hypocritical.

MythTV was founded based on screen scraping.  Myth's core developers had no
problem with it back then.  You never saw them forbidding discussion of
scraping or even discouraging it.  To the contrary, they wrote the screen
scrapers and showed us all how to use them.  In most countries besides the
U.S., screen scrapers are still the only way to use Myth.  Myth's core
developers still actively support that too.

So when the Myth developers are on the 'user' side of the equation they're
all for screen scraping, and have never given a damn about TOS or any other
'rules'.  There was never the slightest concern about the profit margins of
the companies we were all "stealing" from, nor any guilt whatsoever.  But
suddenly, within the past month, Myth's developers are now on the opposite
side of the fence since **THEY'RE** now part of an organization that sells
guide data, just like Tribune.  And suddenly, now with the shoe on the other
foot, the myth devs that are SD members are totally changing their tune and
become ardent supports of the need to protect IP, and are now accusing us
all of stealing if we even discuss using screen scrapers again.

So, the question is: Is it really the case that the SD guys have suddenly
"seen the light" and decided it's crucial to protect the intellectual
property of organizations like Tribune?  Or is it this the evidence of
blatant, irrational selfishness in that when they were on the 'receiving'
end IP "theft" they were all for scraping, and now that they're on the
receiving end of IP royalties they're against it?

It's easy to get to the bottom of it.  To all the guys who are against even
discussing screen scraping because it's "stealing" someone else's IP, I want
to remind you that Gemstar has a patent on the row/column style of EPG
guide.  If you've really turned a new leaf and want to protect IP (not just
your own SD royalties) then you should also be insisting that Myth needs to
license the patent from Gemstar.  And TiVo, Echostar and many others have
patents on things like pausing live tv.  So are you willing to ban the use
of those features, just like you want to ban screen scraping, because like
screen scraping, pausing live tv is "stealing" someone else's IP?  Will you
really ban the use of any features of Myth that "steal" IP (which means myth
is banned completely).  Or is it that you're still ok with "stealing" other
people's IP, it's only stealing *your* IP that is banned from the mailing
lists?  Will you still use analogies like 'stealing someone's cd player'
when you're speaking of *other people's* IP (like Gemstar & TiVo), or do
those analogies only apply to *your own* IP?

Frankly I'm neutral to screen scraping vs. sd.  It's the blatant hypocricy I
find so irritating.
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