This is the first time I propose a question in this group. And now, let's go straight to the topic. As we know, data is the main evidence in a paper. And how to get the accurate data from a firm is a big problem especially in China. Using the statistic data on the web pages is not a good method. With the Web 2.0 developed, the practice of publishing APIs has allowed web communities to create an open architecture for sharing content and data between communities and applications. However, I find that the most companies are used to release their APIs to some licensed people or groups. For example, Sony used to make its official PlayStation 2 API available only to licensed PlayStation developers. So, my question is how to get API authorization by individuals ?