We're not going to pay AP's extortion fees and we're not going to allow them to control free speech!

Recent AP vs fair use threads ^ | June 17, 2008 | Jim Robinson

[FreeReign]

The Associated Press wants to levy a $12.50 and up license fee (aka extortion fee) on any blogger who quotes more than 4 words from one of their propaganda pieces.

If AP quotes a source directly, those direct quotes should be used for free.

[Milhous]

Is AP's crackdown on bloggers actually a crackdown against defections of its own members?

[killjoy]

Oddly, the Post and the Times never challenged the right of DU, MoveOn or Daily Kos to post their articles in full...

So, the obvious and very simple answer is to post AP articles using DU or Daily Kos as the source reference. That would be a fun lawsuit. ;)

[Gondring]

Your right, I'm an electrician and after I wire a house...I want to be paid everytime they turn on the lights.

Then set up your contracts that way. If you don't, then don't complain. Or are you saying that the government should prevent you from having the right to set up your contract that way?

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has set up their licensing how they want...and it's FR's right not to comply. But it's not right to steal their product against their license.

[FreeReign]

But it's not right to steal their product against their license.

If I recite an AP article out loud in a public square how is that different than posting the same here?

[Gondring]

No one is arguing "we should be able to post the entire article".

I hope that's true.The fact they ask us to pay for four words and have your "license" revoked if you say anything they don't like, is the problem.

Now, that is correct.

[Gondring]

If I recite an AP article out loud in a public square how is that different than posting the same here?

(IANAL, so I can only offer my layman's understanding....)

Of course, reciting it aloud has been found to be illegal...and so has posting it here...but whether they are legally identical or not, I don't know.

[Gondring]

Does AP pay for its quoted sources?

When there's a fee, yes.

[Gondring]

Who wants to read their drivel anyhow?

Those of us who wish to refute it.

It's too bad FRhas been forced to surrender.

[SouthTexas]

10-4

Maybe they got tired of having their own words used against them. :)

[Gondring]

If a newspaper pays for an AP feed, and then puts the story on the internet free, that newspaper is doing the same thing Oprah did. Buying the product, and then giving it away.

When a newspaper gets the story from AP feed, they are not "buying the story"...they are licensing the use of the story under specific terms. That doesn't mean the ownership transfers or that they can do anything they want with it.

[DBrow]

“Patrol every site,”

Nope, just sites they want to shut down.

LATimes allows DU to excerpt or post full articles, but not FR.

Look back in time and see what Stalin did. These are Stalinist tactics.

[STARWISE]

AP to Bloggers: We’re Not Trying To Sue You

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2032640/posts?page=1

[xzins]

The “4 words” concept is a little ignorant on their part:

“President Bush meets with Pope.”

How many different ways can you say that?

That said, it looks like AP is backing off a little.

[DBrow]

“The AP won’t be able to enforce this. “

No, they’ll focus on one site at a time, with Kos and DU last, and FR and LGF first.

maybe with a few small outfits to be the very first, to work out the procedures and processes and get the courts in line.

[xzins]

Another thought...

If AP material isn’t allowed (and there’s lots of it), then you’ll probably have to make bloggers’ material a bit more acceptable on the main forum.

[South40]

I was unaware of the AP issue when I posted this AP story.

Please delete it.

[ungfed]

I read much, but post little. How about get an estimate of what a legal challenge may cost and set up a fund for it. Get enough in the fund and quote “them” from here and back. I’ll give 50 bucks if I see a link on the frontpage.

[PhiKapMom]

AP is a newswire that all of the papers pick up stories from — there is no AP newspaper(s). You will find AP articles in almost every newspaper in the Country that is of any size as they use AP to fill their newspaper in additional to their local reporters.

[lainie]

This is just a throwdown on the run-up to the big Thursday meeting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25200396/