The problem with those tv and movie databases are that they’re owned by Roku and you can’t download any data dumps…you’re also relying on the good graces of a corporation that can cut you off whenever it feels like it. That was the case with IMDb and I’m still upset about that :/

Dare I invoke the CDDB transition to Gracenote and their kidnapping and subsequent licensing and gatekeeping of a swathe of publically provided data.

Could CDDB and similar have prevented such things with better licenses?

I think the only way to avoid a CDDB is to make the entire database downloadable so that someone, or a group of someones, is able to re-create it in case of disaster.

I think in the case of "great, open service" selling, the new buyer can just change the licensing, and you're out of luck. If there is a license that compels them to maintain some level of availability, you can trust them to cut it down to the absolute minimum, including rate limiting access down to a level of pointlessness.

Yes, if I remember correctly it was one of the reasons the CC licenses were created? But I could be remembering wrong.

Yes, that is why the MetaBrainz Foundation was created - good luck “purchasing” the MusicBrainz database :)

A sibling comment points out Roku ownership. A more similar project might be the Open Media Database[0].

[0] = https://www.omdb.org