Is there any information from FDev anywhere on what is or isn't legally permissible for 3rd party tools as far as using information from ED? I don't mean data that compromises the servers, or even crowd-sourced data - I just mean basic information like the names of the commodities and/or ship outfitting equipment. Also, I'm wondering about the legality of associating a tool with ED in some fashion (say, naming it "Blankety Blank, for use with Elite Dangerous").
I'm contemplating writing an iPad app for my own use, to help me more easily and quickly assemble and manage various types of ED information I otherwise end up writing down on paper, and am wondering if it might be something I could also release for free in the iOS App Store if it proves to be useful. (But there would be no point in doing so unless I can name it in such a way as to indicate what game it is designed to be used with.)
The new data access policy which is in effect since a few months does NOT allow you to directly access the ED programs and/or protocols. Hence scraping the ED memory and/or hooking into the ED program with for example easyhook or a debugger is not allowed. When the iOS companion came out almost immediately commanders found out that the web-api used by the app could be accessed outside the oOS app by just typing in a url in a browser (or tool) and receiving a JSON datastructure. That JSON file is a wet dream for tool authors. I've had a look at the JSON file myself. Security by obscurity: it NEVER works. FD then stated that usage of it is verboten (NOT allowed). Tools like heatmap/BPC are parsing the netlogs to get the system name. When ED is released that information will be gone according to Michael Brookes. Not totally sure but it looks as if FD has tightened the data access policy in such a way that accessing ANY ED file is verboten. Did NOT send Michael Brookes a PM about it so not totally sure.
What IS allowed is using OCR techniques to get data from the ED program. I did send Michael Brookes a PM about it, his response: "As long as the method doesn't alter or access the exe or the game resources then it is fine. So OCR isn't an issue for us, although trying to read the frame buffer directly could be". Look at the two OCR solution for retrieving the names/prices of the commodities market. FD is NOT against the sharing of data. FD is planning to create a web-api after release. This will take time to setup, coding and making sure the web-api servers can handle the load (cpu/bandwidth) and DDOS attacks. A simpler approach would be to just dump the info received or send from/to the servers like prices, system names, buying/selling into a file. For example in JSON/XML or even CSV format.
Concerning association with ED. Somewhere in the forum there are default disclaimers/labels which you should put on your website/app. There is since months an android version of the BPC out. Slopey has NOT released the iOS version yet. If you create an app I would refrain from putting ads on it. The last commander who did that with an android version (trading tool) was asked to remove it. Officially for different reasons but my guess is, the ads could have influenced that decision.
Your best bet if you want to be 100% sure. Send Michael Brookes a PM in which you tell him about your plans and ask ik its allowed to create an iOS app. Please DO tell us the outcome, could be interesting.