Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
1–10 of 12 posts
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#2I was part of the team that created Crunchbase at Techcrunch and it is really sad to see what has happen, since the way People+ are using Crunchbase is exactly as intended with the design.
I can remember the specific conversation about picking CC-BY+A, it was because we wanted other apps to use the data, even if they were competing with us (and they were)
It also seems they have dumped the open API, previously you could just add '.js' to any page and get a JSON representation of it, no developer signup, no stupid API key, etc.
http://api.crunchbase.com/v/1/company/facebook.js
My impression now is that since the AOL acquisition Crunchbase has tried to retract a lot of its openness, which was a big reason for its success.
I think the key difference is that we saw Crunchbase as a free service to the startup community that would reinforce Techcrunch, while AOL see it as having a distinct and independent commercial value.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#3I think the comments by Matt Kaufman (president of Crunchbase) about the damage that can be caused by "Crunchbase replicas" reflect the knowledge on AOL's part that Crunchbase is a potentially very interesting data asset. And so the reality is that they'll prob revisit rights to Crunchbase, and it'll go from very open to something less so (how far is the question). I would also guess that Crunchbase has a paid subscription offering in the works.
I would also speculate that People+ may be the first "offender" Crunchbase will target. Datafox.co, Mattermark, Inkwire.io might all find themselves in the crosshairs.
This also underscores a common mistake developers make which is creating on someone else's platform where the rules can and will change significantly especially when monetization becomes important. And it seems monetization is on Crunchbase's mind.
Update:
This post on the Crunchbase blog articulates that monetization is coming and that the above "offenders" may be hearing from AOL counsel soon.
http://info.crunchbase.com/2013/11/05/crunchbase-people-and-...
"CrunchBase must remain open to anyone who wants to contribute, and retrieving that data for non-commercial benefit must remain open as well. That said, to invest in CrunchBase’s constant improvement requires building a business around CrunchBase in a way that successfully takes into account our terms of service and our openness."
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#4I was part of the team that created Crunchbase at Techcrunch and it is really sad to see what has happen, since the way People+ are using Crunchbase is exactly as intended with the design. I can remember the specific conversation about picking CC-BY+A, it was because we wanted other apps to use the data, even if they were competing with us (and they were) It also seems they have dumped the open API, previously you co…
Nik - good stuff. Was there ever a monetization plan when you were building it or was it always just always viewed as a complementary asset to TC as you highlight above?
Comment from TC article left by IronToby which is a great point:
"Sounds like they wanted people to contribute content for free while they're the only ones allowed to profit from it."
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#5AOL are used to doing the content exploiting, not being the ones having all the value extracted from their work.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#6I love Crunchbase but I would have more sympathy for them if their long tail content was given a bit more maintenance love. If your content stagnates, you deserve competition. To be fair this takes effort, but how many young people would knock themselves out for a low paid or unpaid internship there to get this stuff done? It seems more like a lack of caring, although admittedly I'm an ignorant outsider.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#7How reliable is Crunchbase, anyway? In my experience, its frequently outdated and incorrect, but I don't search it often.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#8How reliable is Crunchbase, anyway? In my experience, its frequently outdated and incorrect, but I don't search it often.
I've used it for a few projects. If you're using it as an only source, keep that caveat in mind, but it's a good starting point.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#9I've caught Crunchbase employees blatantly copying and pasting content from AngelList - which is not Creative Commons as far as I'm aware. I'm surprised they're up in arms over this.
Re: Crunchbase admits it may need to learn more about Creative Commons
#10I've caught Crunchbase employees blatantly copying and pasting content from AngelList - which is not Creative Commons as far as I'm aware. I'm surprised they're up in arms over this.
AngelList is one of CrunchBase's partners, with syndication rights.