But if they post clearly defined limits and penalties, then that brings them into the territory of offering a "terms of service" for which they can potentially be sued.
So on many levels, keeping it vague and saying simply, in so many words "just be good, don't do anything abusive" like many services do for high-volume APIs (e.g. YouTube, last I checked) -- makes for a pretty good, common-sense fit in this case.
It also puts the emphasis were it should be (in my view): not on "don't do X or Y, OR ELSE" but on "look, just be ethical, and use your head, please."
It's just too bad for RG that they didn't head Google gentle and clearly (enough) worded advice, first time around.
So on many levels, keeping it vague and saying simply, in so many words "just be good, don't do anything abusive" like many services do for high-volume APIs (e.g. YouTube, last I checked) -- makes for a pretty good, common-sense fit in this case.
It also puts the emphasis were it should be (in my view): not on "don't do X or Y, OR ELSE" but on "look, just be ethical, and use your head, please."
It's just too bad for RG that they didn't head Google gentle and clearly (enough) worded advice, first time around.