> We should give up with the idea of databases which are 'open' to the public, but you have to pay to access, reproduction isn't allowed, records cost pounds per page, and bulk scraping is denied. That isn't open.

I disagree.

Even if you simply made the database no cost but such that an actual human has to show up at an office with a signed request, that is fine. That's still open.

The problem isn't the openness; it's the aggregation.