I wanted to use some data for statistical analysis available on a company's website. The data is in the form of a time series. Am I allowed to publish my results and conclusions?
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3$\begingroup$ Is the data published as a data set or did you "scrape" it off the site? If the latter, what do their TOS say about use of the site, e.g., are the use of "robots" restricted or otherwise discouraged? Have you considered simply contacting the site to obtain explicit permission? $\endgroup$– cardinalCommented Feb 16, 2013 at 15:45
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$\begingroup$ Its published as a data set in csv format. I have written to them seeking their permission. They will probably answer on Monday. I cannot find their TOS that explicitly talks about use of data. $\endgroup$– LeoCommented Feb 16, 2013 at 17:37
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Anything published on a website is automatically copyright, whether or not the property of the poster. Unless explicitly stated otherwise (for example, copyleft), it does require permission to reproduce. though not to analyse. However, if you want to publish the result of the analysis, it would at the very least be courteous to ask and offer to provide a copy of the analysis. Some websites, particularly governments and those to which one has to subscribe for a fee and agree to a confidentiality clause, may be able to impose further restrictions. Regards, Robert - P.S. I am not a lawyer and if you are in any doubt, then that is the best source of advice, but see the Wikpedia article for more information.
answered Feb 16, 2013 at 23:29
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$\begingroup$ Can websites sue the person analysing the data (available for download) and publishing the results? $\endgroup$– LeoCommented Feb 18, 2013 at 7:04