Ancestry and the NRS: when the corporate genealogy world turns ugly
14 days ago
- #genealogy
- #legal-battle
- #public-records
- Ancestry is taking the National Records of Scotland (NRS) to court to gain access to records available on ScotlandsPeople.
- NRS refused a financial agreement with Ancestry, citing a potential £3.7 million annual loss in revenue.
- The Information Commissioner's Office sided with NRS, but Ancestry challenged the decision with the General Regulatory Chamber.
- Ancestry, a for-profit genealogy company, is criticized for attempting to monetize public records held in trust by NRS.
- Many users and genealogists support NRS, praising ScotlandsPeople for its accessibility and ease of use.
- Legal proceedings continue, with concerns about the precedent this case could set for other archives and countries.