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dgorissen / coursera-dl

A script for downloading course material (video's, pdfs, quizzes, etc) from coursera.org
http://dirkgorissen.com/2012/09/07/coursera-dl-a-coursera-download-script/
GNU General Public License v3.0
1.74k stars 300 forks source link

Careful about being prosecuted #68

Closed samrocketman closed 11 years ago

samrocketman commented 11 years ago

Darn the mobile interface stinks I'll update what I mean.

samrocketman commented 11 years ago

https://www.coursera.org/about/terms

According to the ToS accessing content via automated means is a violation. See Aaron Swartz case. 11 of his 13 felony charges came from violating the ToS of an academic service. By using the site you agree to be legally bounded. Sickening, I know. But that's the reality we live in. Be sure to complain to your congress members because laws about digital life are only becoming more dangerous.

taintedzodiac commented 11 years ago

Terms clearly say: " You may download material from the Sites only for your own personal, non-commercial use."

As long as you're not reselling or redistributing, the usage of this script clearly falls under downloading for personal use.

dgorissen commented 11 years ago

That was my interpretation as well. Also part of the reason the script does not automatically accept the honour code.

samrocketman commented 11 years ago

Actually, you're wrong. They say the following is a violation listed under Rules for Online Conduct:

(c) use any high-volume, automated or electronic means to access the Sites (including without limitation, robots, spiders, scripts or web-scraping tools);

I would consider this a script or high-volume automated means to access the site. Even if you are keeping it for your own person. I just thought I'd make you aware of the issue and potential consequences. See the Aaron Swartz case for the scary version of the outcome. Do with it what you will.