[elevenfist]

Well, scraping has taken place, so you've violated a eula and potentially committed theft. But you haven't violated copyright, as long as you do not distribute the data either, (through any means) pretty sure that's fair "use."

Ymmv, not a lawyer and this is internet bullshitting, not legal advice.

[AnimalMuppet]

Eureka! We make a class-action lawsuit, charging the government $X billion for violating our copyrights because of NSA surveillance!

[pyre]

The government can exempt themselves from IP laws. For example, the government has exempted itself and defence contractors for violating patents (to build top secret devices) in the past.

[rietta]

Yeah, not going to happen because of "the national security interest of the United States". A related concept is a contract contrary to public policy.

[rhizome]

Alas! Sovereign immunity means you can't sue the government without their permission.

[xmj]

Where are you going to sue the government... in a government court?

[rhizome]

...yes? Couldn't there be valid causes of action for government acts? Are we simply assuming bad faith on the part of the government for any possible scenarios?

[DoofusOfDeath]

Only in a revolution, I suspect. And revolutions are not to be undertaken lightly.

[rovr138]

Is it illegal?,

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-legality-of-web-scraping

The answer from Pablo Hoffman talks and provides some links regarding web scraping and US cases.