An Open Letter to the Zap2it Labs Community

We at Tribune Media Services and Zap2it.com have been privileged to offer a
TV listings service to the Open Source and freeware communities so that the
many innovations in electronic program guides, digital video recorders, and
recommendation engines could continue to flourish. This free-of-charge
service is at risk, however, due to the actions of several businesses
seeking to exploit our generosity so that they can make greater profits.

When you signed up for Zap2it Labs, you agreed to a contract that states the
service is available for non-commercial, personal use only. A few commercial
entities have chosen to ignore these contractual terms in order to receive
television listings without paying. We know who these entities are; you know
who they are.

These violations must end.

If you purchased a hardware or software product that receives its television
listings from Zap2it Labs’ DataDirect or, indirectly, through XMLTV, you may
be violating our contract. It is critical that you and your vendor abide by
our contractual terms, lest everyone suffer the consequences.

If you have any questions about this issue, or suggestions for how to
ameliorate the situation, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jay R. Brodsky
VP/Technology
Tribune Media Services