[vlc-devel] ATTN: removal of website playlist parsers

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Le mercredi 15 avril 2009, Antoine Cellerier a écrit :
> Howdy,
>
> On Wed, Apr 15, 2009, Rémi Denis-Courmont wrote:
> > Hence, I'm going to remove all LUA parsers but the CUE file one
> > before 1.0 goes out. If you have a proof that a given parser is not
> > in breach of copyright for the corresponding website, please
> > explain why/how.
>
> I'm against this removal. I fail to see the difference between a user
> checking the html and finding the video's url and automating that
> process.

One difference lies in the VLC publisher being complicit of piracy. In 
one case, it's helping the user pirate. In the other case not.
Worse yet, in one case, the user can legitimately assume that we 
obtained the adequate permission from the website to extract files on 
his/her behalf. In the other case not.

All in all, we are screwing up both:
- the website owner (bad)
- and the user (very bad).

> If it were indeed proven that this was a breach of copyright,
> and copyright holders complained to us, I agree that we'd need to
> remove the scripts (Even though, as far as I know, providing the
> script wouldn't in itself be a copyright infringement. Using it
> would)

Last time I checked git remove was not able to remove files from 
installed VLC copies, neither did it pay damages or extract associates 
from jail.

I am totally not going to be a member of the VideoLAN association for as 
long as it keeps that policy, and I can only recommend anyone else 
stays away from it as well. "That kinda sucks."

-- 
Rémi Denis-Courmont
http://www.remlab.net/