- Startups - Greg Kidd of 3Taps - TWiST #293

TL;DR

A legal battle is underway between startup 3Taps and Craigslist over ownership of factual data on the internet.

Transcript

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Key Insights

• 🪗 Factual data cannot be copyrighted, according to the Supreme Court ruling in the Feist v. Rural case.
• 👏 The legal battle raises questions about the ownership of data on the internet and the rights of companies to scrape and use that data.
• 🤗 Craigslist's position on data ownership is in contrast to other companies like Twitter and Google who have taken a more open approach.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is 3Taps?

3Taps is a startup that collects exchange postings from different online platforms and allows developers to build applications using the data.

Q: Why is 3Taps in a legal battle with Craigslist?

Craigslist is suing 3Taps for scraping their data without permission. 3Taps argues that the data is factual and cannot be copyrighted.

Q: What is the significance of this legal battle?

The case raises questions about who owns the facts on the internet and the implications for other companies like Twitter and Google.

Q: How does 3Taps make money?

Currently, 3Taps does not charge for the data it provides. However, in the future, they may consider charging a licensing fee to customers who use their data.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• 3Taps collects exchange postings from various online platforms and provides them to developers to build applications on top of the data.

• Craigslist is suing 3Taps for scraping their data. 3Taps argues that because the data is factual and in the public domain, it cannot be copyrighted.

• The case raises questions about who owns the facts on the internet and the implications for other companies like Twitter and Google.