Atticus - 2:48 am on Mar 25, 2005 (gmt 0)

OK, if these scrapers represent the brave new world of web sites -- which I don't believe for a second -- then why in the world would anyone ever again create even one more page of real web site content.

If the defenders of scrapers are correct in their assessment of this new medium's wonderful value for both surfers and advertisers alike, then as of this very minute, every web publisher on the planet should stop creating content and just scrape everybody else's content. After all, only a fool would invest time and effort into building content sites, when so many bright minds have shown us that scrapers are easier to build, more profitable and are far more valueable for the human race than that pesky content.

Then we can all recycle each other versions of the web that died on March 24, 2005.