internet terms-of-service
Writing/using a self-made API for DeepL
<p>I just learned that scraping the web is not always as legal as I thought it was. Apparently a website can prohibit the use of web scrapers for their website in its Terms Of Service.</p>
<p>The translator deepl.com has a API which costs money. However, on GitHub one guy published a tool that allows everyone to implement the functionality of deepl.com in their own programs. He basically wrote a free API.</p>
<p>Did I assume correctly that this guy makes himself liable to prosecution? Is it illegal as well to use his tool (1) and publish free software using it on GitHub (2)?</p>

<p>Assuming that DeepL has terms of use whoich prohibit access except via their paid API, that prohibits unauthorized <strong>use</strong>. </p>

<p>Writing code to access it anyway, as an exercise, would not be illegal. Using such code as an unofficial API might well violate DeepL's TOS, and thus be subject to a suit. Providing the API might be contributing to such unlawful actiuons, if the provider knew it was likely to be so used.</p>

<p>It might, in the US, be considered a circumvention of a technical measure restricting access, and thus prohibited under the DMCA. If that is the case, the writer might be violating the DMCA also, as it prohibits creating and distributing "means" of circumvention.</p>
