Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data all over the world.
opendataday.org
I’m convinced that open data is of major importance to the internet and humanity as a whole. It transfers the power from individuals and corporations to the public. Imagine if a major movie site like IMDb or TheMovieDB closes down. The data would simply be lost and there is nothing you can do about it.
In addition, you, as a user, are obliged to follow any decision made by the companies behind those websites. What if suddenly only paid users have access to the service, or certain content is only available in certain regions?
Fortunately, open data doesn’t face such problems. If you’re not happy with the direction of a project, you can copy its data and work with it for your own goals—as long as you respect certain conditions (i.e. give proper attribution). Open data doesn’t discriminate, and will even allow you to redistribute it. Hence copyleft is the way to go to guarantee a free Internet: it allows you to freely use, share and improve the copylefted work.
To contribute to a truly free Internet, the OFDb chose the Open Database License, which gives the power to the public, and not single individuals or companies. It allows film and TV enthusiasts to access accurate, high quality data, while being in control of what is dear to them.