Company A have build up a database of information about companies(X,Y & Z) which they publish in print and online(searchable) every year. Company B decide to manually feed in this published data into its own searchable website database as a starting point. After this each of the companies(X Y & Z) will be invited to continuously update their own data in this database. No money will be charged to companies (X,Y & Z) for this database. The users that search will not be charged to use this database. This database will only be used to lure people to the website. Other services provided on the website will however be charged for by the people advertising the service and not the customers. Is it illegal to manually feed in this published database onto my website if I do not charge any money for the use of it directly although it leads people to my website where I eventually will make money by other means?
The jurisdiction of this website will be in south africa and Company B might also only be one person and not a registered company.
I only know US, N.A. and some E.U. law. Typically in this area of intellectual property, the answers will be similar. The database that is created may be owned by the company that created it. In the US, a "compilation" of data can be protected by copyright law. It doesn't matter one iota whether or not you charge for allowing your visitors to use the property of someone else. If it's the intellectual property of this company, you'll have trouble. Whether this is the case depends upon the specific facts and circumstances surrounding that database. You can contact the company just for information, such as asking them about subscriptions, if one is offered, etc. to best answer your own question.