I have five words for them:
“AP, you can kiss my....”
AP is not a government, it has no legislative or enforcement power other than the threat that its swinish gestapo of lawyers can find a jury that will buy their claims. This is a monstrous and flagrant abuse of the First Amendment and the legal system.
The real purpose of this effort is not to protect copyright, it is to blunt criticism and review, which have been taking an increasingly heavy toll on media credibility since the internet and new media started to undermine their monopoly on public discourse.
We will not have progress or even freedom in this country until the media-industrial complex is overthrown, and the authentic free press restored to its rightful position.
Excellent insight:
it is to blunt criticism and review, which have been taking an increasingly heavy toll on media credibility
Most postings of AP stories are in the "Can you believe they print this junk" vein.
Some other reading on AP abuses...
The Right to Know (Free Republic May 12, 2008 conservatism_IS_compassion)
Obama in a sea of people - creative editing from the folks at AP.(NY Times, Salem News, KPIC 5/18/2008 Larry Rohter)
AP Fires Photographer: Reuters Fires Photographer Over Doctored Photos (WRAL News 8/8/06 WRAL News)
Hajj also worked as a freelancer for The Associated Press from 2003-2005. the AP was reviewing all 193 of his images in its photo archives to verify their authenticity. On Monday, the AP recalled a photo that it had transmitted Sunday night of a worker in Alaska examining an oil pipeline. In that photo, the worker appeared to have four hands, and there were other elements such as a section of pipe that appeared to have a double image. Lyon said the distortions were unintentional and resulted from careless use by the photographer of a software feature in Photoshop called a "cloning tool."