What copyright laws apply for internet data mining?

In most cases copyright laws do not apply on the information available freely on the web. Copyright laws apply only on original content, noted as original and copyright protected by its owner.

Do copyright laws apply on details such as names, addresses, prices etc?

In most cases, no. These details are under the definition of "facts" and are freely available information, for the public's use. There are, though, some rare cases when this kind of information can be copyright protected.

What are the chances that a target site's owner will react in case he discovers his site's data is being scanned?

Highly unlikely. Throughout the 2 years we've been data mining we've never has a case where we were asked to cease our scan from any site. Rarely, one of our users or servers was banned. However, we've never been contacted by anyone regarding our operation. In general, there are a few known cases of site owners contacting anyone regarding data mining, and even then the site owner must ask us first to stop. A legal action can't be filed based on activity alone, without prior warning.

Are data such as a phone book or business index, copyright protected?

In some cases, yes. The data itself is considered as "facts" and does not enjoy the copyright protection. But the indexes themselves may enjoy the copyright protection in case there of some special content selection or unique and distinctive format. To be sure that the law is followed, our legal department checks our target sites for copyright protection, before we mine for data.

What can I do with the data you've mined?

The most effective use is of course for sales boost and business development, such as lead collection, potential customer list, etc.

You can, of course, publish the raw data, but in this case there must be a bold and visible note of the data's source, including a link in case the data is published on a web site. For example, by a recent ruling, a person who collects various classifieds into a new website, while giving full credit and links to the original content's owners, does not break the copyright protection laws.