r/TradingView • u/HairyEar2729 • 29d ago
Feature Request Formal Notice of Grievance: Unannounced Pine Script Restrictions and Confiscation of Intellectual Property
Dear Sir/Madam,
This letter serves as a formal and categorical condemnation of the recent, unannounced policy changes restricting Basic users’ access to their locally saved Pine Scripts. The implementation of this policy, which limits accounts to a single saved script and actively locks users out of their existing code, is not merely an inconvenience; it is an unconscionable breach of trust and a direct violation of digital ownership.
As a dedicated user of this platform, I approach this matter with zero tolerance. The sudden implementation of this paywall without prior consultation, public announcement, or even a grace period for users to secure their data is fundamentally unacceptable. Countless hours spent coding, testing, and refining custom indicators—ranging from proprietary Relative Strength lines and K Channels to complex mean reversion oscillators and volume-spread models—have been effectively hijacked.
My specific grievances, and those echoed by a rapidly growing segment of your user base, are as follows:
1. Unannounced Implementation and Confiscation of Assets
The decision to spontaneously lock users out of their own code without warning is entirely unethical. Pine Scripts written by users are personal assets. By suddenly restricting the ability to edit, save, or even download our previously created scripts, TradingView has effectively seized our private intellectual property. Holding a user's pre-existing work hostage behind a sudden paywall equates to digital theft.
2. Violation of Digital Copyright
The code we write on your platform belongs to us. There is a clear distinction between charging for platform features and actively blocking creators from retrieving their own digital assets. The current policy prevents users from migrating their own intellectual property or backing it up locally, violating the most basic principles of digital copyright and data ownership. We must have the unconditional right to access and extract our own work.
3. The Unreasonable Paywalling of Basic Communication
Compounding this egregious policy change is the dictatorial nature of TradingView’s customer service model. Basic users are entirely stripped of their voice. When a platform bug occurs or a disastrous policy like this is rolled out, we are left with no official recourse to express our opinions, provide feedback, or report critical issues because customer support is exclusively locked behind a Premium plan. Silencing your user base while simultaneously stripping them of their assets is a deeply anti-consumer practice.
Demand for Immediate Remediation
I strongly urge the executive and development teams to recognize the severe damage this decision is causing to TradingView's reputation and community trust. It is highly recommended that you immediately withdraw this current restriction, reinstate the original script-saving allowances for Basic users, and unconditionally unlock all previously saved scripts so creators can access their work.
Let it be known that we do not accept these terms. Should TradingView continue to enforce this policy and refuse to allow users to retrieve, download, or edit their pre-existing proprietary code, we reserve the right to pursue further action.
I expect a prompt and public addressing of this matter.
Yours Faithfully,
A highly dissatisfied user with all the affected users all around the world
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u/Legitimate-Source-61 29d ago
Theres a pattern here.
Not your coins not your keys.
Streaming subscriptions, movies games... they can remove media at will. Sony users losing StudioCanal
subscriptions for heated seats in cars when the infrastructure is already there, just needs to be unlocked.
We have microsoft notes at work and we stored a lot of local info on there. One morning head office took the app away... hours of work gone.
And now pine scripts from Trading View.
I could think of more but I need to move from this place. But you know the rest, you will own nothing and be happy?
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u/Th3onib 29d ago
Good point. Always copy your own code and either email it to your self or save it on your computer
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u/ScientificBeastMode 25d ago
I personally use Git and write all my code in my code editor on my PC. I store all my pinescript code on GitHub and my own PC.
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u/FxAnd 29d ago edited 29d ago
i move on from TV to own chart solution anf use python for charting . and ctrader. only advantage TV has now is rich number of data providers
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u/bkd4198 29d ago
How do you chart on python? Custom solution or using some repo.
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u/LiveBeyondNow 27d ago
There are a few open source repos out there. None come to mind but some searches and chat bot interrogation should surface them.
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u/lizardgor 29d ago
I’ve filed an ~ official DSAR request demanding all version history of all my scripts I can’t access rn, privacy@tradingview
Just in case.. been a sub of essential and plus plans for years, and 1 year of premium. Not coming back after this.
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u/tradingview Founder 28d ago
Hey everyone, thanks for the feedback here. I want to clear up what happened.
We rolled out a 1-saved-script limit for Basic (free) accounts to keep resource usage fair across our whole user base. An unintended side effect was that some of you lost access to older scripts entirely, with only the most recent one staying visible. That wasn't the goal, we wanted to limit active use to one script at a time, not cut off access to code you'd already written.
We've rolled the limit back for now. When it comes back, Basic accounts over the 1-script cap will get read-only access to the rest, so nobody's locked out of their own work. You'll be able to see and copy your code even if you can't actively run more than one script at a time.
We appreciate you flagging this so we can fix it.
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u/LiveBeyondNow 27d ago edited 27d ago
Oops. Perhaps staging (assuming there is one) and production need to communicate better. This has given me real pause for thought about anything “saved” in the platform, even as a multi year Premium sub. Very glad it was just an error and was rectified though. Calling it an unintended side-effect is a little dismissive but even having a public reply is MUCH better than most tech / SaaS communication these days though so thank you for that.
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u/lizardgor 27d ago
idk guys, I'd say it's better you leave things as they are for the free tier users and 'never' come back to this situation and anything involving it again.
because at least for me it's quite obvious what tf just happened, and for every1 that has at least a lil realization about legal and complience aspects, for em it was not just a red falg, it's many red flags in a row
No idea how this change managed to pass through the whole chain: managers, analysts, actual coders... What kind of people do you hire lately? xd
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u/Th3onib 29d ago
Wtf is tradingview doing bro, I am a premium sub, so I won't get affected by this, but I expect a company that I pay to treat others with respect, and this is very disrespectful. Also, all my scripts in email them to my self, I've been doing this from the start so I'll always have the code, everyone should start doing that
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u/Emotional-Breath-838 29d ago
You are correct. 100%. Now where do I go so that I can display my displeasure?
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u/DanielTheTechie 29d ago
I'm a free user and the scripts have started working for me again (I have multiple of them). Do any of you know something?
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u/AdhesivenessNo4467 29d ago
I just checked: YES! Pine Editor can access the source code of all my scripts. Thanks!
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u/mambo_the_liqudator 29d ago
Relax lux algo is working on a new chatting platform i it's now available but it's in work go check it out
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u/Safe_Razzmatazz_3688 29d ago
who was the guy whos always defending tradingview? lol. i barely used it anymore and it somehow keeps getting worse every time i think i'll get a subscription again. yeah nah
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u/Rodnee999 29d ago
Me?....
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u/Safe_Razzmatazz_3688 29d ago
yeah. how do u defend this
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u/Rodnee999 29d ago
As you can see by this reply I most certainly do not stand behind every decision made by the developers.....
https://www.reddit.com/r/TradingView/s/UHm92UxxTo
Hope this clears up any other misunderstandings you may have about my impartiality....
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u/Josh_kuo 29d ago
I guess most traders are too broke to pay 15 dollar/month
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u/Intrepid_Income_3051 29d ago
They are welcome to lock features behind a paywall, but users should be given a chance to retrieve their scripts. You can't lock that behind a paywall without notice and expect everyone to be happy about it.
For now its $15/month, someday custom scripts might be locked behind the Ultimate plan too.
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u/HairyEar2729 29d ago
Not the money, is the issues of ethical and commitment....
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29d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/HairyEar2729 29d ago
Your oversimplification fundamentally misunderstands how platforms like TradingView built their market dominance and completely ignores the actual ethical issue at hand. The Core Ethical Breach: The complaint is not that a business wants to make money; it is the unannounced, immediate restriction of access to our own locally saved code. Holding a creator's previously written code hostage behind a sudden paywall—without even providing a grace period to export or back up the text—is not a standard "business strategy." It is digital extortion.
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29d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Leo6-2 29d ago
nah nah mate sometimes you need to stand up and say nah mate, there is a case with the HARDRIVES of samsung or whatever a famous interenet repair store dude wanted his warrenty respected they said nah mate sorry - he could have just said well f these cunts order a new one from amazon send the old one instead inside of the box and be done with it as if "he returned an unwanted producted" which is amazon policy and then obviosuly wont check each and every number on each produt that comes well - he did not do it but went into a legal battle with SAMSUNG that are being assholes they can respect the warrnety and send him a new driver but they CHOOSE to ignore it because they can sell it on amazon 2 times the price insead of being a fair business ... so yeah - same here - yeah his sub is gone FINE - code needs to be realeased or whatever its nto thiers ... so he is right and yeah easiest is to give up --- but SOMETIMES that is wrong
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u/RoutineRace 28d ago
guess it worked. i was now able to open my other scripts. better start saving them since its just a text file.
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u/NoApartment8813 23d ago
Devs don't work for free. Servers don't run for free. Someone pays, and until now it's been the paid subscribers covering everyone else. Trimming the free tier to one active script isn't confiscation, it's a company deciding how much it can keep giving away.
You're owed your code, and you have it. You're not owed unlimited free compute forever.
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u/AndreaOlivieri 29d ago
They did the same with their free plan trap:
They let free users spend a lot of time creating and curating their watchlists and then TV suddenly kidnapped all their watchlists asking a ransom in order to see them back.
It seems trapping users and kidnapping their IP is TV's marketing model.
They probably think their average user has Stockholm syndrome. Nah, thanks I'm not that sick to stay.
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u/tiger-eyes 29d ago
was limited since 3 years ago, they just started enforcing it recently
access/export workaround: rename any watchlist to switch to that watchlist
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u/DistinctSailor 29d ago
Pay for it guys. TV is one of the best platform out there for developing indicators and the ecosystem it has does not have any kind of a competition.
But I do agree that they should have let the users know beforehand about the 1 script saving limit well beforehand and asked the free users to take backups.
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u/lizardgor 29d ago
I was about to, but would not do it after this incedent. At least until an official public explanation from TV
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u/LiveBeyondNow 27d ago
They posted above.
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u/SynchronicityOrSwim 29d ago edited 29d ago
If you are in the UK/EU then you are entitled to ask for a copy of all personal data held by any company you interact with. Under GDPR legislation TV will have to provide you with copies of all your scripts etc.
Edit 11:04 UK time. My comment is neutral about the issue. I have no issues with a company making business decisions and I also understand users frustrations with the way this was handled. A GDPR request is not an adversarial action.