> however not propagating replies is almost certainly legal.
On Usenet, possibly, but it is probably reasonable to assume that someone posting to Usenet knows that it is a distributed system and not all servers copy all messages, and therefore that by posting anyway any implicit permission to copy their material takes this into account.
On HN, however, a post is always accompanied by its replies. If someone posts something, and then posts a follow-up, they expect that anyone reading one comment can also see the other. Given that the entire legal basis for reproducing any comment from HN is built on implied consent, taking a snapshot that breaks that connection seems like fairly dangerous ground to walk on.
On Usenet, possibly, but it is probably reasonable to assume that someone posting to Usenet knows that it is a distributed system and not all servers copy all messages, and therefore that by posting anyway any implicit permission to copy their material takes this into account.
On HN, however, a post is always accompanied by its replies. If someone posts something, and then posts a follow-up, they expect that anyone reading one comment can also see the other. Given that the entire legal basis for reproducing any comment from HN is built on implied consent, taking a snapshot that breaks that connection seems like fairly dangerous ground to walk on.