Linking to News Content: Copyright Issues

[DCon]

Germany wants to allow newspapers charge for content displayed in internet searches

Germany is leading a growing European movement to let newspaper publishers charge internet search engines for displaying links to their articles — a move market-leader Google warns could cause an internet news blackout.

Günter Krings, a senior lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party, calls the initiative the “little brother” of copyright law. “Just like that which protects the rights of a songwriter or music company, ancillary copyright levels the playing field between print publishers and search engines and aggregators,” he said.

The idea of forcing internet sites to share some of the revenue they earn from selling ad space alongside listings of newspaper and magazine articles is so alluring that France is considering similar rules — and Italy could also follow.

In pushing the bill, Germany is burnishing its reputation as a staunch defender of intellectual property rights on the internet and a challenge to the web’s “free content” ethos.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49689511

[C. Flower]

Germany wants to allow newspapers charge for content displayed in internet searches

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49689511

Irish news media are looking for the same.

It is fair enough if a site is a straight news aggregator, with no original content, relying solely on linked material. When a site interacts with and comments on news, it would be suppression of free speech.

Leaving out the links, and summarising the content, and going straight to original sources and press releases would be the way to go. The result of removing links would of course be reduced readership of the news media. Any media site permitting links would benefit. Not sure how they have not worked that out yet.

[C. Flower]

McGarr's has produced a storming end of year blog on the Irish newspapers campaign to charge to link to news articles.

Newspaper owners are lobbying hard for a right to payment for links.

http://www.mcgarrsolicitors.ie/2012/...stroy-the-web/

Fair enough, in my view, for news aggregator sites that are nothing but random links.

But where there is substantial comment, and no advertising, I can see no justification for charging for links, which lead traffic to the online news source.

In fact, in those cases, it would make more sense for the news source / online paper to pay a charge for the traffic received via the links.

This is a very live issue, which might radically affect the way we discuss current affairs here.

We may in due course find ourselves linking to non-Irish newspapers and also relying to a higher degree on reports from primary / first hand sources - press releases - the oireachtas - direct observation etc.

If online professionally produced content all goes behind paywalls, a "creative commons" free substitute might be a viable and a good development, particularly in view of the increasing tendency of the press to issue disinformation and to produce spin.

Thoughts ?

[C. Flower]

McGarr's reply to the demand to Women's Aid for payment for linkage to news sites.

http://www.mcgarrsolicitors.ie/2012/...ncing-ireland/

[ang]

In fact, in those cases, it would make more sense for the news source / online paper to pay a charge for the traffic received via the links.

My sentiments exactly !

[fluffybiscuits]

Hugh Linehan, editor of Irish Times .com tweets on the issue:

I represent The Irish Times editorial perspective, and I agree that links are an integral part of the circulation of ideas online

[jpc]

I think it is pretty accurate to say that the print press in Ireland is in severe financial hot water.
Any avenue that will generate revenue will be explored.
It's an example of trying to generate "revenue " from the internet.
Something they haven't really cracked yet!

[Seán Ryan]

I look forward to most media sinking for that final time in the mysterious internet tides.

It astounds me that the media is still engaged in misunderstanding the internet. It astounds me more that they still inform public opinion at all. I always concluded that propaganda/the mainstream media would find its nemesis in public fora like this one. It's nice to see that time rapidly passing.

Thankfully the media is still trying to envision how the internet can yield cash. They're oblivious to the fact that this is an extinction event.

To badly quote the Indymedia ethos, cause they got it right: Don't hate the media, be the media.

The media is extraneous to the interlinking the internet provides. They're extraneous to the way news is gathered and its dissemination. The mainstream media have been riveted to the spot and staring ignorantly at the oncoming train forever, trying to puzzle out what it is. The best they can hope to amount to is a wet splat.

[barrym]

The media is extraneous to the interlinking the internet provides. They're extraneous to the way news is gathered and its dissemination. The mainstream media have been riveted to the spot and staring ignorantly at the oncoming train forever, trying to puzzle out what it is. The best they can hope to amount to is a wet splat.

+1

Some where else, maybe even on PW. I suggested they wake up, get money, ok, but intelligently, pay on the fly, low item pricing, negotiate reciprocal deals with aggregators, etc. Realise they are but one supplier of information in a very much changed universe.

Also needs some imaginative thinking on IP law, presently driven by big media players and the lawyers in public admin.

If the retail trade can use ifds to keep track of the things they sell, so can information suppliers.

[TotalMayhem]

This is a very live issue, which might radically affect the way we discuss current affairs here.

Don't "link" then, use a URL masking/shortening service and "code" the address, simple as that.

http://tinyurl.com/bhlzvo9

Good policy anyway...

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Bizarre stuff and straight out of the Trade Protectionism school of economics. The desperate rearguard action by an industry dying on its feet because its business model is becoming defunct tries to get governments to prop up its dying market.

The father of the Marx brothers gave his profession on official forms at one time as 'umbrella mender'.

He used to go door to door mending umbrellas for a living. Can you imagine his dismay when manufacturing processes began to churn out cheap umbrellas that could be replaced easily if damaged or lost?

I doubt he wasted much time writing to his Senator demanding that umbrella menders be protected by receiving a share of the profits of the new umbrella production lines.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Funny how the newspaper industry has neglected to push for laws demanding that all advertisers have to place an ad in the print press isn't it?

Because they'd be told by the advertisers to get stuffed in an instant.

[musashi]

Suits me, the aggregators will get burned if such legislation was enacted.
But fora like this one will benefit.
The more they try to shore up their waning profits the more traditional media will encroach on discussion of issues of public concern.

[C. Flower]

Hugh Linehan, editor of Irish Times .com tweets on the issue:

A useful statement.

However, it doesn't change the legal position sought by the industry as a whole.

I do think that how we will pay for journalism is a real problem.

My own suggestion is that there should be an umbrella charge for a group of Irish newspapers, at a reasonable fee that reflects the actual costs of delivery online. Not more than €100 a year. If they did - and included things like tv listings and sports calendars - I think they would find readership would rocket. The takings could be divided proportionately between the news publications according to the number of views/page turns.

One of their problems is RTE, which as a public service, would have to remain free.

[fluffybiscuits]

A useful statement.

However, it doesn't change the legal position sought by the industry as a whole.

I do think that how we will pay for journalism is a real problem.

My own suggestion is that there should be an umbrella charge for a group of Irish newspapers, at a reasonable fee that reflects the actual costs of delivery online. Not more than €100 a year. If they did - and included things like tv listings and sports calendars - I think they would find readership would rocket. The takings could be divided proportionately between the news publications according to the number of views/page turns.

One of their problems is RTE, which as a public service, would have to remain free.

A solution may be found that they could sell a group license to say a site like ours for €30 (random figure) and that would give us the right to link to the papers and cite their articles partially so as not to infringe their copyright. Its going to signal the death for newspapers in years to come unless they back down. There was a case years ago where BT tried to sue American ISP's for allowing people to click on hyperlinks , BT said that the ISP's should have bought a license to use the hyperlinks but the court rules against them: http://news.cnet.com/2100-1033-955001.html