Read thru most of the links you gave, and have a few points as to how this relates to us.
To sum up whats happening in Aus, a company, HWW, has a contract with the tv companies to distribute thier guide data to other companies in whatever format they choose. This contract however has a number of clauses on what the data cannot be used for, including being used on PVRs. However this was almost certainly done to prevent them selling the data to commercial PVR systems, but HWW still have to hold up thier end of the contract so try to stop oztivo using thier data, whether it has nil impact on the tv companies or not.
This is quite different to what happens in NZ. Here we have 3 companies that sell guide data, TVNZ, TV3, and Sky. TVNZ/TV3 sell just thier own channels' data, Sky collect and sell thier own and TV3's data, but purchase TVNZ's for thier epg.
TV3/TVNZ aren't too concerned bout what happens to thier guide data, though still charge you a heavy fee to ensure they get thier slice of any commercial use of thier data. Sky however, for reasons unknown as its very much against thier own interests, protect thier data fiercely. To the point you have to be rebroadcasting thier content to have any chance of them agreeing to let you use thier guide data. The key here, as it is in Aus, is the difference between a commercial operation using the data for profit, and our community that uses it for personal use only with no chance of any revenue. While I wouldn't want to bet on it, I'd say even Sky could see they have no interest in annoying us.
Which leaves the point of how do Sky or anyone know what thier data is being used for? If you're scraping thier website they can see the logs, but our alternative method leaves no such trace, though I spose it wouldn't be hard to change subtley a description in 1 programme to proove where you got it from.
Bottom line, Aus are only having problems cause a 3rd party that does not own the copyright but has contracts to enforce it on behalf of the tv companies, has no interest in what effect it has on the tv companies, only that oztivo are using it for purposes not allowed by HWW's contracts.
So we just continue as is, providing guide data but keeping the source occluded as much as possible and just hope the copyright owners can see past the legal fine print, that the way we're using the guide data only adds value to thier product, makes people more likely to sign up to sky and existing customers like myself well and truely loyal. I watch more of what I want to watch, and I'm vastly happier with what I get for my money from Sky/TV3/TVNZ using a Tivo than I ever was with the old tape recorder.
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