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Copyright and Usage

Overview

recipe-scrapers is a Python library that provides tools for extracting structured recipe data from websites. This document outlines our approach to copyright considerations and clarifies responsibilities for library maintainers and end users.

Library's Role

recipe-scrapers is a tool that facilitates data extraction. The library itself:

  • Provides methods to access made available web content
  • Transforms unstructured recipe data into structured formats
  • Does not store, host, or redistribute any content
  • Does not circumvent any technical access controls
  • Makes no claims about the copyright status of accessed content

End User Responsibility

Users of recipe-scrapers are responsible for:

  • Ensuring their use of scraped content complies with applicable laws
  • Respecting website terms of service and robots.txt directives
  • Obtaining necessary permissions for their intended use of scraped content
  • Managing any copyright or licensing requirements for scraped content

Fair Use Considerations

Many uses of recipe-scrapers may fall under fair use doctrine, particularly:

  • Personal recipe collection and organization
  • Academic research and analysis
  • Transformative uses that add value to the original content
  • Non-commercial educational purposes

However, users should conduct their own legal analysis based on their specific use case and jurisdiction.

Best Practices for Users

We recommend users:

  • Cache scraped content appropriately to minimize server load
  • Include attribution when displaying scraped content
  • Respect rate limits and robots.txt directives
  • Consider websites' terms of service
  • Implement appropriate error handling and fallbacks

Library Development Guidelines

For contributors and maintainers:

  • Focus on structural improvements and bug fixes
  • Maintain the library's role as a neutral tool
  • Keep copyright considerations proportional and practical
  • Balance legal compliance with usability
  • Avoid features that could only serve infringing purposes

Disclaimer

recipe-scrapers is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The maintainers make no representations about the suitability, reliability, availability, timeliness, or accuracy of the software or its content extraction capabilities.

Additional Resources

For more information about web scraping and copyright: