[mythtv-users] Free US/Canada Listings

Rod Roark rod at sunsetsystems.com
Mon Sep 10 22:09:48 UTC 2007


From: "R. G. Newbury" <newbury at mandamus.org>
...
> A scraper writer who publishes his code, so that others may
> circumvent a technological measure is clearly a criminal under the
> DCMA  see 17USC s.1201 and 1204.  (try thomas.loc.gov). There is a

I don't understand your repeated references to the Defense Contract
Management Agency.  They might take exception to this.

> limited area in which a screen scraper may be legal. It must be
> written to scrape pure data, which data is not protected by any
> technological measure, and which data is not copyrightable.
> Remember that pure data, such as telephone directory listins, or tv
> schedule listings is not copyrightable. TV show descriptions may be
> copyrightable text, however, depending on whether the party being
> scraped wrote that text, or is merely transmitting it. So the line
> is fine and also implicates questions of fair use copying. If it is
> scraped for personal use, then it can be a fair use copying. It all
> depends....

You have no idea what you are talking about.  Unless you can tell us
where you got your law degree from, you'd best not be giving legal
advice on this forum or anywhere else.  IANAL but I'm pretty sure you
can get in trouble for that.

...
> Well, the list maintainers live and work in the US. Their entire
> livelihoods and assets could be affected by someone who decides not
> to exercise the courtesy of "self-censoring" themselves by not
> posting ON THIS LIST. I do not ask, and I do not think the devs ask
> (or demand) that anyone not post about scrapers on lists which deal
> with scraping. It is not a core requirement of myth, and is better
> discussed on lists where the users are conversant with the
> technology.

There are perfectly valid reasons to discuss scrapers within the
context of MythTV.  For an example, see my own plea for help from
earlier this month at:

http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2007-September/192342.html

> And the 'worst' is far more damaging than a letter from someone.
> They could effectively be bankrupted by the need to defend
> themselves from a groundless complaint.

In the U.S., anybody can sue anybody for anything, and cost them large
sums in legal fees.  That's a hazard of living in this country.  Those
who would censor themselves for fear of that do not deserve to remain
free.

Really, I don't know what your agenda is in spreading FUD like this
so repetitively, but I find it plain offensive.

Rod


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list