You Can't Have It Both Ways, Alan

JupiterResearch is tangling with eMarketer again...

Will someone please explain to me how anyone could possible claim that what eMarketer does is copyright infringement? A data set isn't copyrightable, especially data you put out in the public domain.

I saw eMarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey on the 212 cruise not too long ago, and I told him exactly how ridiculous I thought Jupiter's lawsuit was. In addition to having no legal leg to stand on, I thought Alan Meckler should be grateful to Ramsey and eMarketer for helping build JupiterResearch's business. After all, who does a better job of publicizing Jupiter's data and driving new customers than eMarketer? Nobody, that's who.

Paging Mr. Meckler... You can't have it both ways, guy. For years, eMarketer has been publicizing Jupiter data. I'd bet that eMarketer is indirectly responsible for building a good chunk of Jupiter's business. After years of enjoying this free publicity, Jupiter turns around and sues eMarketer? Some gratitude... Oh, and Mr. Meckler? You can't throw data out into the public domain and then continue to control its fair use. If your stuff is so valuable and proprietary then keep it private. Don't post it on your website - let customers pay for it. Anything you choose to make public is just that - public. So get off eMarketer's case already and write them a nice letter of thanks for all the help they've given you over the years.