TV listings royalties idiocy
TV // Steve // 20th June 2006
Now, you'd think that TV companies would be keen to let you know what is on their channel at a given time. Here are our programmes! You should watch them, they're really great!
But Broadcasting Data Services, bless their misguided cotton socks, have decided to quote the Broadcasting Act 1990 and threatened Andrew Flegg's ace bleb.org with Bad Legal Stuff, saying that he should be paying royalties for republishing BBC and ITV listings.
Flegg pointed out that the BBC publish XML listings through their Backstage initiative for free reuse, so they've backed down on the BBC listings, and now Flegg cannot publish the ITV listings.
All seems a bit daft really. I don't know about you, but I could barely give a fuck about ITV programmes - they need all the help they can get. Having said that, it sets a precedent - and I'd encourage you all (yep, both of you) to sign the petition over at Petitiononline.
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