[Xmltv-devel] tv_grab_aus - legal issues

[Justin H. <ju...@ha...>]

Hello folks,

I've been approached by the people who run the web site that I use to pull
TV guide information from (ebroadcast.com.au).

At the outset I'd like to say they are being very reasonable about things,
and are listening to my side of things. However they are concerned about
the impact of a program which fetches their listing data.

They are happy for me to have the software, and to have it available as a
download, if it provides both in the source and on the web site a
notification that the data it fetches is not be used for commercial
benefit, ie personal use only.

Now I have no problem with that. But I'm just worried that the GPL (or
other license) provides some sort of loophole to allow someone to do just
that (modify the software in some way, use it to start grabbing the data
and sell it).

Maybe I'm being paranoid/stupid - I'm no lawyer, and I know the GPL is
about the program, not what the program does. So this all feels really
grey area for me at the moment.

I'd like to do the right thing by the ebroadcast guys, as they have been
understanding so far.

Have any of the other grabber writers been involved with anything like
this?

Cheers,

	Justin

-- 
ju...@ha...  |    "Don't sweat it --
http://hawkins.id.au  |  it's only 1's and 0's"