Licensing online quotations - link roundup

by Nancy Sims, MTTLR Blog editor

In early June, news site the Drudge Retort received DMCA takedown notices from the Associated Press, for several pieces containing 39- to 79-word quotations from AP articles . Although the AP quickly backed off on their DMCA threat, they had previously published a pricing structure (screenshot from June 19, above) for blog quotations of their articles, with costs of $12.50 for as little as 5 words. Bloggers are crying "foul", claiming fair use and "hot news" privileges.

• Drudge Retort blogger Rogers Cadenhead on:
• The DMCA takedown notices he received
  
• The AP rethinking its stance
• Wired's Threat Level blog reports on the takedown notice, and AP's change of stance.
• The Media Blogger's Association adds background details (June 18)
  
• New York Times article (June 16) on the AP's licensing structure - an "effort to impose some guidelines on the free-wheeling blogosphere"
• The AP announces (June 17) that it is meeting with the Media Blogger's Association to develop guidelines for blog quotation of its content.
• Los Angeles Times editorial characterizes the AP as "pulling a Metallica" (June 19)
  
• BoingBoing and Napsterization clarify the role of the Media Blogger's Association (June 19)
• TechCrunch blog discovers an AP story that quotes 22 words from a TechCrunch post, and requests $12.50 (June 19)

• Update: Cadenhead posts that the AP has settled their dispute with him, blogger guidelines to come on Monday (June 20)

MTTLRblog will update this post as the conversation continues. We welcome your comments and link suggestions.