BestOnlineBid.com
Is it legal to sell information about other websites or sources?
Here is an example of what I am wanting to do. Lets say I start a website.. www. InternetJobs. com (already taken) and want to post a listing of available internet job openings on my site. This is a work from home job field that is full of scams... like the "envelope stuffing" scams in your local paper. But there are lots of legit openings out there and I know of quite a few. As well as direct contact info for them.. I and my wife are both in one ourselves. My idea is sort of like those guys who sell you info in the paper for $35 on buying police seized cars or houses for as little at $50 each... who only give you a list of auctions and locations where you can bid? They are just selling you the list of information on when and where the auctions are held. Of course anyone could find this information on there own with time and effort.. but they would have to go through the hundreds of sites on the net, and determine which ones are scams and which are legit internet jobs. Yahoo search "Work from Home" and you will see what I mean. So my questions are... 1) Is it legal to compile a list of Internet jobs and post them in a members only area and charge a membership fee for my site members to see what jobs are available for that example internet job or make a list available for download for a small fee? 2) Do those sites have any legal dispute to listing their job openings without there permission? 3) I understand I cannot copy any of their wording or content due to their copyright. Is there anything else i should avoid.
Public Comments
- At the outset, I have to say that your question is simply impossible to answer in the abstract. There are potential copyright, trademark, contract, and other legal issues at play. Any generic advice from someone on Yahoo Answers will be practically useless because the legal issues are fact-specific That is, slight changes in a few facts here and there will will entirely change the analysis. The first place I would start is by reading the Terms of Service of the websites from which you are seeking to gather information. You'll probably notice that many job websites have specific prohibitions against what you're considering doing here. The second thing you need to consider are the copyright and trademark issues that you might encounter. I have no idea how you're structuring your website or displaying your gathered information, but I could see a number of potential problems. The third thing I suggest is that you consult an attorney. No amount of free, generic advice online will replace targeted advice from a good attorney. I wish I could be of more help, but I think I would be doing you a disservice by not directing you to a professional.
