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View Full Version : is this legal to sell public information?



doglover2
11-Feb-14, 09:24
I have been trying to find out if there are regulations regarding the legality in the use of existing public information for personal benefits.ie. selling services' information to inconspicuous users .My question derives from a thread that was recently on this website about a tourist-focused project ,"North Highland Way " /"Walking World",that was to trace a walking path from East to West,from John O' Groats to Cape Wrath and which in principle seemed like a very attractive idea to promote further activities to tourism up in the North.Nevertheless,I came across the fact that there are no tracks being done ,simply already existing path-traced-trails are being sold through the project-related- websites("walkingworld.com"and "" ), but these tracks are already known and offered for free by the Highland Council on their official website.Is this legal,does anybody know? ,because I believe that an else encouraging excellent resource for potential and exiting visitors to see and experience more of this beautiful part of our counties,Sutherland and Caithness is being misused, and it is very depressing to notice that it will actually discourage people if they would discover or learn that they are paying for something they could get for free .Furthermore,on those websites of the project there is nothing mentioned about what the money will be or is being used for in the factual tracing , bettering or even building of paths.
It would be important to let tourist note - and promote therefore - the already existing paths accompanied with the relevant information they need to know when walking through our countryside,respectful of Nature and the properties that they walk through and not being exploited.
Does anyone know if this is legal?

Big Gaz
11-Feb-14, 10:16
It happens all the time. There are sites that "help" you apply for passports, driving licences, bank accounts etc etc and charge you a fee for doing so when all the information is already in the public domain and all they are doing is copying your info and pasting it into the proper website.
The problem is that people are lazy and will just follow the first lead they get and if it costs them, then so be it.
So to answer your questions. Is it legal? Yes, is it moral? No!

The clue is in the words "public information"

ducati
11-Feb-14, 10:25
That is what most tourist sites do. I s'pose if you collect all the information and put it all in one convenient website then you have added value. Afterall Time = Money

Big Gaz
11-Feb-14, 10:41
That is what most tourist sites do. I s'pose if you collect all the information and put it all in one convenient website then you have added value. Afterall Time = Money

or on 6 inconvenient websites [lol]

RagnarRocks
11-Feb-14, 10:44
or on 6 inconvenient websites [lol]I hear there could be a new one in the offing . Hownottomakefriends&influencepeople.com