Screen Scraping und Informationsfreiheit

Freedom of information and the digital economy: This thesis is the first to examine the commercial use of publicly available information and data on the internet from the perspective of freedom of information through the example of screen scraping. Firstly, the author discusses the ties between screen scraping processes and the freedom of information, which is constitutionally protected, with reference to European legal provisions. The core of the analysis subsequently forms a legal assessment of screen scraping, taking particular account of the effects of freedom of information. In doing so, it focuses on contractual and competition law, legal protection of databases as well as issues concerning the right to shield one’s own online presence from other users. In conclusion, the author defines general admissibility criteria for screen scraping software through an evaluation of the legal parameters of freedom of information.