Re: criticism about hosting download packages

Hello Robert,

On 25.02.2011 03:57, Robert Haas wrote:
> company to take this approach.  For example, Adobe does exactly the
> same thing when you download Adobe Reader.

FYI: that is totally wrong. Adobe not even shows a register page.
I just tested.

Maybe they show it in US - When you download Adobe Reader by
having German IP then the page looks very modest. You only
have a big Download button on the page. No register form at all.

Same with Microsoft - Free Software from Microsoft - you can download
and there is just a huge Download button. For downloading Windows
you will get linked to German vendors.

I think the discussion came up - because we have to deal here with
culture differences - between some European countries and US / UK.

Please consider, the intention of my first email wasn't for blaming
EnterpriseDB - far from it! Vise versa - it was meant as friendly hint
that it might be against morality in some countries.

Let me give you some background:

Fishing for customers is illegal in Germany. You will find it in our
unfair competition law.

Also our privacy protection laws point out that you are only allowed
to collect data from persons when you really need them
- and you are only allowed to collect that kind of data from persons that
you really need.

Additionally, we have business morality rules.

Maybe Germany has the most strict laws here to protect persons and smaller
companies for bigger competitors. But I saw there are also EU Guidelines 
for it.

There already were discussion in German government to install a software to
block sides with fishing elements. So that you can't access these pages 
with a
German IP. I think it is just a question of time - when they really 
install that software.

Susanne

-- 
Susanne Ebrecht
Bielefeld