You’ve probably already seen this, but here’s how they address the subject in their editing guidelines:
“Why Doesn’t the ODP List These Sites?
It’s not the business model we don’t like. It’s the mirrored and duplicated content. For example, suppose you have a company offering data storage products and services. They have exclusive resellers who provide a front for selling their products and services. While the reseller sites may be designed and written differently, their content and aim are exactly the same. Adding sites with the same content or that point to the same place are not unique or useful.”
Also:
“General rule of thumb: Look at the content on the site, mentally blocking out all affiliate links. If the remaining information is original and valuable informational content that contributes something unique to the category’s subject, the site may be a good candidate for the ODP. If the remaining content is poor, minimal, or copied from some other site, then the site is not a good candidate for the ODP. “
Might be useful for someone who hasn’t seen this already and is interested in getting their site listed in the Open Directory.
I’ve heard that the Open Directory is short a lot of editors these days, and that the turnaround time after a submission takes an incredibly long time as a result…