Sounds right and in line with RESPA regulations.  Title firms in much of Northern California have not done so in years.  The liability of offering them is high, when they are poorly researched based on a computer run in India.  I've said this before.

You, an abstractor come along and get a starter for whatever reason and that reason could easily be that you are investigating a particular material flaw in title that they missed.  Why should they supply you with a tool to slit their own throats?  They are also in the biz of selling data through third parties.  DocEdge and  a few others are DataTree (First American Title) subsidiaries, and they get more cash from you subscribing to their online data services than handing the starter to you.

Just points to consider.