[tlug] Re: alc.co.jp webservice

[Jim Breen <Jim.Breen@example.com>]

Edmund Edgar <lists@example.com> raged:
>> Here's an extract from their terms of service:
>> 
>> 『英辞郎 on the Web』は、SPACE ALCのトップページ（http://www.alc.co.jp/
>> ）にアクセスし、そのページ上部の検索インターフェイスからご利用ください。この利用法に準じない利用（メタタ深チなど）は禁止します。
>> 
>> To translate (and paraphrase a bit):
>> "If you want to use our precious "Eijiro on the web", get your lazy butt
>> over to SPACE ALC's top page and use the search interface there. We forbid
>> any use of the service that does not use this method. So cut out the
>> open-source meta-search freeloading, you idle worthless hippy scum." [*]
>> http://www.alc.co.jp/eow/how_to_use.html
>> 
>> If I've understood the TOS correctly, they also appear to forbid using their
>> dictionary for work.
>> 
>> Of course, you could work around the fairly feeble technical hurdles they
>> put up to stop you using this service, and in practice ALC are nice,
>> sensible people and probably won't sue you. But I can't help feeling that in
>> situations like this where the copyright holder claims they really don't
>> want you to use their content in a way that's useful to you, the best
>> response is to take them at their word, and then some: Give them the full
>> "cyber-mura no hachi-bu" treatment.

I really doubt if ALC or Eijiro could sue for pointing a URL at the
ALC lookup server rather than using their very own page. It would
break very new ground in copyright law, in fact it's difficult to see 
how it comes anywhwre near copyright law.

Jim

-- 
Jim Breen                                http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/
Clayton School of Information Technology,               Tel: +61 3 9905 9554
Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia                  Fax: +61 3 9905 5146
(Monash Provider No. 00008C)                ジム・ブリーン@モナシュ大蛙触Â