The Legality and Difficulties in Harvesting Compendium Data (Hypothetical)

[Almacov]

Okay, I'm not trying to incite arguments or irritate anybody, but in light of recent news I've been wondering -

What are the legal issues (if any) in creating a program that automatically harvests DDI compendium data (Through an active subscription) and stores it for personal use?

How difficult would it be, and where would the major hurdles lie?

Again, this is all hypothetical, and I don't have the programming expertise to pull it off even if I planned to. If it were legal, and a member of the community produced a program capable of it though...

I don't know. Maybe it would make me feel better about the idea of maintaining my subscription.

And so, I open the floor to input.

 

[evilref]

Assuming US law, it wouldn't be legal, no. Without question it's a copyright violation.

 

[Sunseeker]

As there is likely a clause in the contact you signed when you paid for DDI to not copy and store or distribute the data, then it would be very illegal. And discussion of illegal activies is well, illegal.

 

[malraux]

Okay, I'm not trying to incite arguments or irritate anybody, but in light of recent news I've been wondering -

What are the legal issues (if any) in creating a program that automatically harvests DDI compendium data (Through an active subscription) and stores it for personal use?

How difficult would it be, and where would the major hurdles lie?

Again, this is all hypothetical, and I don't have the programming expertise to pull it off even if I planned to. If it were legal, and a member of the community produced a program capable of it though...

I don't know. Maybe it would make me feel better about the idea of maintaining my subscription.

And so, I open the floor to input.

It's trivially easy, but it does violate the ToU agreement.

 

[mudbunny]

Last I checked, one of the sections in the ToS (or perhaps EULA, don't recall) prohibits "automated access". If I were to guess, it is that what resulted in MP getting a C&D order.

 

[Almacov]

Okay. Thanks folks. Just wondering. =)

(Out of curiosity, what was MP? I must have missed this controversy.)

 

[Bungo_Underhill]

And discussion of illegal activies is well, illegal.

No it isn't.

Although conspiring to undertake them is...

 

[Artoomis]

Assuming US law, it wouldn't be legal, no. Without question it's a copyright violation.

That would probably not be a copyright violation (if only used for personal use - it would likely fall into the category of "fair use"), but certainly could violate terms of use or other agreements. If strictly for personal use (only) not too big a deal. If used for any other purpose, it would at least be a violation of ToU and/or ToS and copyright laws and possibly a host of other things, too.

 

[Sunseeker]

No it isn't.

Although conspiring to undertake them is...

Discussion of how to achieve them can be viewed as conspiring to actually do them/encouraging others.

But either way, to harvest this data(as most data harvesting is) would violent the EULA.

 

[OnlineDM]

Okay. Thanks folks. Just wondering. =)

(Out of curiosity, what was MP? I must have missed this controversy.)

MP is MasterPlan. In its earlier version, it would let you log into your DDI account and it would download all of the monsters and items and everything, making them available for you to use in building your encounters within MasterPlan. Wizards of the Coast put a stop to that sometime back in May or June, I believe.

I'm not sure what the current version can or can't do, as I never upgraded after the WotC intervention (out of fear that I would lose my data). I actually don't use MasterPlan right now, but I could see myself doing so one day.