AP’s Shortsightedness Strikes Again
The most recently announced Associated Press move to take on Web sites that use their articles, through one of their affiliated newspapers, without permission is such an awful sign of desperation. Why is it that when the “content” question is raised, traditional media heads get protectionist and on the defensive? I personally see this as another opportunity for newspaper to partner, and syndicate content in a friendly and regimented fashion. Now grant it, there will have to be some review of the partnering site using the newspaper/AP content, but moving forward in the air of aggression just highlights the dinosaur persona traditional media has been unduly graced with.
According to the New York Times, AP is questioning the practices of search engines like Google and Yahoo, and other feed providers. They’ve already got a lawsuit out against Shepard Fairey, the artist responsible for the infamous Obama poster, claiming that his poster was the result of a photo taken by an AP representative and thus any moneys Fairey gained should be shared with the Associated Press.
To me, the whole thing just seems like a desperate plea to make money. The Associated Press has not only seen its subscription and membership base decline because of the woes of the newspaper industry, but also because newspaper publishers have lashed out at AP’s move to continue to gouge them on their rates. If the Associated Press feels that their issues will be solved by employing gorilla tactics on the web, their extremely naive. As mentioned above, moving forward in the air of partnership would more be to their long-term benefit.
