Bloomberg BNA – Weibo Crackdown Takes Aim at Web Scrapers, Not Users
Chinese microblogging site Weibo Corp.’s misunderstood attempt to thwart web scrapers from republishing users’ posts sparked fears of a copyright grab.
—
The real purpose of Weibo’s action was to tackle web scrapers who take data or content for use elsewhere without permission, according to Joe Simone, director of SIPS, a China IP specialist with offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Weibo “is trying to create a better paper trail for denying scrapers,” he told Bloomberg BNA.
