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More copyright complaints
Free Republic | April 8, 2004 | Jim Robinson

Posted on 04/08/2004 9:19:34 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

As most of you are aware, we've recently received several copyright complaints. In the last few weeks, we've received complaints from the SJ Mercury News, Independent (UK), SF Chronicle and The Boston Globe. Just a couple days ago the Post-Gazette send a cease and desist notice and yesterday I heard from the Tribune-Review.

Tonight, I got a call from Amy and there were two more registered letters at our PO Box. The McClatchy News (Sacramento Bee) and USAToday are now added to the list of publications that have complained about copyright violations.

Well, folks, the handwriting is on the wall. The complaints are now coming in faster than I can respond to them. John is currently in the process of writing programs to search out and automatically excerpt all existing threads from these sources.

I think we're gonna have to go to excerpt and link for all news sources very soon unless we have written permission on file.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1stammendment; 2004electionbias; adminlectureseries; bigmedia; bozos; ccrm; complaints; constitution; copyright; copyrightlaw; donotpostlist; excerpt; excerptingarticles; excerpts; fairuse; fr; freerepublic; freerepubliczotted; freespeech; frinthenews; lexicon; mediabias; silencingcritics; zot; zotfreerepublic
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To: Richard Kimball
What's particularly upsetting about this is that the original sources will pull the links, destroying part of what you set up FR to do, which was to create a database that we can search.

Not only that, there are instances where articles have gone out to the wires with loads of factual errors (including a big hit piece on George W. Bush's connections to Ken Lay via his ownership of the Houston, Astros; unfortunately for the critic, George W. Bush owned part of Arlington's Texas Rangers baseball team, not the Astros). There are also instances where internal office memos for this or that media outlet (broadcasters and newspapers) have been leaked to their own websites (possibly by disgruntled employees).

Some of these items do not remain online (certainly after other news sources start to comment on them).

Archiving such examples of media bias is the only way to keep the revisionist editors at Big Media from deying their biases.

281 posted on 04/09/2004 2:17:44 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Chad Fairbanks
We need to find someone, or some way, to get our Fair Use rights back. I believe we are systematically being denied our legal rights through an organized campaign for political reasons, and that violates EVERYTHING this nation claims to stand for...

It only makes sense since the campaign is being waged by those who oppose everything this nation claims to stand for...

"The Constitution is a living document..." and all that rot.

282 posted on 04/09/2004 2:19:17 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Richard Kimball
Now, once the original article is pulled from a web site, we will not be able to go back and research, and the opposition will be able to conveniently forget that the politicians have directly contradicted themselves.

Minor conspiracy theory: Does Lexus/Nexus keep articles or do they link to the news sites? I realize that is a commercial transaction (and licensed arrangement) so it does not share the "fair use" provisions that FR enjoys.

Also, we hear Rush Limbaugh reading excerpts of articles on the air (sometimes obtained from Nexus searches). I wonder if he (or G.Gordon Liddy) have ever been told that they cannot read even an excerpt of an article (or statement from a political site like antiwar.com) on the air. G.G.Liddy uses a segment of each hour of his show to read articles and editorials on the air (with his own commentary); it used to be a full hour of the daily show but he had no guarantee that every market would broadcast "that" hour.

It might be worthwhile to contact Rush, GG Liddy, and other conservative talk radio hosts who excerpt and read full articles on the air without paying the newspapers.

283 posted on 04/09/2004 2:24:56 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: no-s
They act as if copyright authority gives them the power to rewrite history.

Question authority. Be anti-establishment; oppose the liberal media elites.

284 posted on 04/09/2004 2:28:41 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: William Creel
We need to send a bill to congress allowing us to continue using full articles.

The educational provisions of "fair use" permit us to do so without adding more laws. It is constitutionally protected.

This is not a commercial site. There are no links to merchandise and no "shop". Contributions to operate the site are voluntary and anyone may use the site (reading and posting) without giving a dime.

FR has become a lot higher profile in the past year. Part of this is due to Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and others acknowledging FR on the radio. The OTHER part of this is from HIT PIECES at SFgate, Newseek/MS-NBC, and other liberal sites that try to give PR negative PR.

The left is their own worst enemy when it comes to sending people to Free Republic. In their efforts to demonize us they have sent us a bunch of new converts to conservativism and assorted readers who are glad to see independent voices countering the claims made by Big Media.

No longer do conservatives have to tune into talk radio to hear someone voice dissent against what the press echoes through the different wireservices; here is immediate reaction (and some conservatives Do have different takes on the same issue while remaining true to Conservative ideals).

The left likes activism only when it benefits Democrats.

What a miserable failure their efforts have been.

285 posted on 04/09/2004 2:36:42 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: jpsb; Jim Robinson
Newspapers want hits on their web site so that they can sell advertising, perfectly understandable. One way (ugly) around this problem would be to place at random, an ad from a list of news paper advertisers as the first reply. I think most paper would go for something like that. It would help them and would not be a terrible thing for FR. Someone might suggest this to Jim.

A more appropriate action would be to have the website launch a popup to the "source link" when the thread is launched. Locally store the text of the article (archived against future tampering or deletion) but require the source website to launch (at least the toplevel domain) in order to read the locally stored text.

Permit all discussion of the article to proceed without popups (since at that point it is just excerpts from the article and FR posted original commentary).

The only time you would see a popup (to the original site) is when you chose to read the FR hosted text of the article itself.

This would slow down browsing just a little bit but remove none of the functionality of FR.

286 posted on 04/09/2004 2:44:05 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Mo1
And some of the press doesn't seem to have a problem using information that Freepers research

Some of the press, like Newsmax, or a quotable celebrity like Rush Limbaugh perhaps but others of the press (aka Big Media) DO have a problem using information that FReepers research.

By that I mean that even when a FReeper points out an error in a report, they'd rather bury it than acknowledge a liberal flaw.

I recently read an article on FR that had 2 Boston Globe reporters suggesting that John Kerry may have been untruthful with regards to statements he made during the Vietnam War. I sent them an email (with no references to FR) that included the text of his transcript from Tim Russert's tv show where he refuted his own claims of "genocide" as being the (lying) words of an "angry young man". I said that there was no doubt that he claimed American soldiers abused Vietnamese civilians. I never did get a reply from the authors.

Under the "new rules", I would not have even seen the article to bring this to their attention. Big Media can bury their head in the sand (the same way they do about Islamofascism) but I will not silence my voice.

287 posted on 04/09/2004 2:50:29 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Jim Robinson
don't want to sound paranoid or anything though, LOL

Hey, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you!:)
288 posted on 04/09/2004 2:53:28 AM PDT by GodBlessRonaldReagan (Count Petofi will not be denied!)
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To: Jim Robinson
Too bad.

I go to those newspapers because of their presence here.

Guess I'll go to them more if there's a link....but it's more time consuming.

I'll just be more careful about the parts I excerpt -- look for the really definitive paragraph.

Thanks for all you do.
289 posted on 04/09/2004 2:58:21 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army and Proud of It!)
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To: jpsb
I stopped hiring bands and stopped doing karaoke. Most (all) of the clubs in my little town did the same

If you have a radio, jukebox, or tv set, you still can be pressured by hired goons to cough up regular payments to ASCAP and BMI. There is no accounting for radio, tv, or cds (the jukebox is a separate matter) as to what your customers may have heard. Also, all of those performers and songwriters got paid (radio and tv for the broadcast usage, whether it is part of a program or an advertisement "jingle"). The CD copyright holder was paid when you bought the album.

The agencies are good at collecting money from an ever increasing pool of sources (shakedown new clients every year, tv is a recent addition) but they aren't so good at actually paying the songwriters and artists.

290 posted on 04/09/2004 2:59:32 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Piranha
While news agencies may pull their sites, we can link through Google's caches and also can post the relevant passages under the "fair use" doctrine.

But examine what you said there... Google caches all of the media's articles (except those who opt out) without paying to do so. Why is Google granted a priviledge that is not afforded Free Republic? Have these outlets all sent their cease and decist letters to Google.com?

If not, then they are not effectively protecting their copyrights.

Google even caches Free Republic.

291 posted on 04/09/2004 3:03:14 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Jim Robinson
Well, they can't copyright the facts (or the so-called facts, LOL).

Maybe you've hit on the fundamental reason the media lies. They need those "made up" facts so that they have something to copyright.

A work of fiction is easier to protect than an account of an actual event.

292 posted on 04/09/2004 3:05:47 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Jim Robinson
This appears to be a well coordinated effort.
293 posted on 04/09/2004 3:21:27 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The democRATS are near the tipping point.)
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To: supercat
HOWEVER:

Snopes has checked it out:
http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/birthday.htm

And here is another one:
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199804/1998.04.17.09.html
'Happy Birthday' Song Copyright Renewed
By Gary Jones

"Happy Birthday", copyright 1935, has had its copyright renewed.
That's why restaurants with waiters who sing to you on your birthday
sometimes use a "corporate" birthday tune instead. They're not paying
the license fee.

Did I hear a rumor that Michael Jackson (yes, "the" Michael Jackson)
purchased the rights to "Happy Birthday" and numerous other popular
standards?

By the by, American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) has a "blanket"
ASCAP and BMI license agreement so that its chapters are covered
for public theatre organ performances and conventions. This way,
each chapter doesn't have to deal with this individually.

Yes, lawyers rule the day.

Do you know the difference between a laywer and a cat fish?
One is a scum sucking bottom feeder, the other is a fish.

BTW, check out my tag line.


294 posted on 04/09/2004 3:34:14 AM PDT by Lokibob (All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
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To: Reagan Man
I don't know if their commie's. Most of them support freedom of speech. As long as its freedom of speech that advances and promotes their leftwing, liberal, socialist agenda.

The enemies of the State will use every tool at their disposal to destroy the State.

Go to smokinggun.com (is it thesmokinggun...). They printed the full Al Qaida training manual. It told their terrorist agents how to tie up their case in the courts. The same legal structure they seek to destroy.

A terrorist organization that operates outside the law deserves to only be shielded by law to screen out innocent individuals. They fight for an army wearing no uniform or even the garb of emergency doctors and police. They violate Geneva conventions as a matter of course (attacking civilians and doctors).

I don't believe that communists believe in "free speech". They believe in using the tool of "free speech" to preach seditious overthrow of the constitutional government. That is not protected speech regardless of how long they believe it will take to achieve their goal.

295 posted on 04/09/2004 3:50:39 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: tpaine
But if we all did it, would we all be banned? -- Or more to the point, could we all be sued?

I don't know. I think that FR may need to re-evaluate the policy of permitting newbies to initiate threads. That DUh link recommends that trolls post threads deliberately to initiate copyright lawsuits against FR.

Calling in the Viking Kitties for Zots aren't worth risking maliciously posted threads. Limit new threads to those who've posted 100 responses first.

It also helps to give a better track record when trolls sign up at FR.

The edict has already gone out, the posters at Democratic Underground seek to get Free Republic sued by posing as "FReepers". Do people still believe that those angry emails to Margaret Cho and others were all authored by genuine FReepers and conservatives?

296 posted on 04/09/2004 3:57:09 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: jnarcus
Larry Klayman? I'm having a hard time remembering when Judicial Watch successfully represented a client to the END of the case.

Not saying that they don't represent well deserving cases but I don't know that they offer the best representation.

297 posted on 04/09/2004 4:01:38 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Alberta's Child
More likely a headline for that newsitem would read: IghtenedFray Mericansay Owthray Empertay Antrumtay - Omenway and Ildrenchay Ardest-hay It-hay
298 posted on 04/09/2004 4:06:04 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: Nita Nupress
Re: LexNex...

Can you imagine the sleepless nights they would have? Just imagine a huge cadre of conservative sleuths out there tracking down every single "Dick Clarke-like" lie they tell and posting it for all the world to see! Surely there's enough Googler's here who could pay a few bucks a month for access to the most powerful search engine in the world, huh?

Gosh, just THINKING about how unsettled the DU'ers would be gives me goosebumps. LOL!

That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. Big Media has awoken a sleeping giant in attempting to supress the silent majority.

299 posted on 04/09/2004 4:08:33 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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To: jpsb
Why don't the lawyers go after the band? Cause, the band dispears into the night but the bar can't so the blood suckers go after the bar even thou the bar didn't do a danm thing wrong.

The bar is believed to have deeper coffers and be less mobile/elusive than the performers. Soak the rich. It's why lawyers don't sue a person who is negligent, they sue his employer. They sue the manufacturer of a product that is improperly used by an individual against their client.

300 posted on 04/09/2004 4:11:14 AM PDT by weegee (Maybe Urban Outfitters should sell t-shirts that say "Voting Democrat is for Old Dead People.")
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