AP is bullying bloggers who link to and pull from its stories. So with this push, bloggers are pushing back by boycotting AP, and turning instead to Reuters and the wealth of other sources who respect Fair Use policies and appreciate exposure.
The unAssociated Press is running the official boycott list and petition. This blog also houses news articles on the whole saga - just scroll down.
AP is a dinosaur crumbling--an old timer newsie told me a few months ago when a local office stopped paying its freelancers--they haven't kept pace with the Internet evolution, and they're headed the way of UPI. The comments on Newshoggers echo this. It's possible AP is so financially strapped, they're seeing frivolous copyright lawsuits as a potential cash cow.
Whether or not they're headed for extinction, I have no patience for anyone being idiotic, mean, and just plain wrong.
Bloggers boycott AP
sign petition to save free Internet radio
Goal is collect 50,000 signatures by Monday
John Silver, FreePress.net exec. dir -- Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.
The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.
The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.
Rescue Internet Radio: Sign the Petition
This is not just another petition. The Copyright Royalty Board isn't used to hearing from the public, so your action can really make a difference. And we need to stop them before the new charges go into effect.
Artists must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations don't even differentiate between public outlets, small upstarts, and the largest commercial companies. The proposed increase would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres you can't find anymore on the radio dial.
As soon as smaller webcasters start to attract a sizable audience, the royalty costs would be astronomical -- and likely fatal. And nonprofit stations like NPR should not be forced to pay so much money that they actually fear an increase in their listeners.
Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity and shut out independent and local artists on broadcast radio. We can't let the same thing happen on the Internet.
The Copyright Royalty Board -- or if necessary, Congress -- needs to fix the rules so that artist and musicians thrive alongside a new generation of Internet radio webcasters. Send them a message by adding your name to our petition.
Save the Internet
savetheinternet.com
Life as we know it on the Internet is under siege. Educate yourself about this, act, pay attention.
"Net neutrality" is how the First Amendment applies to the Internet - allowing Web users to go where they want and do what they please online. This democratic standard is why the Internet has become a revolutionary force for economic innovation and new ideas. If the corporations win, it'll be like the radio - the independent and smaller stations basically get no airspace, so all you hear are the corporate giants' stations. My site, your site, blogs...forget it; they'll take so long to download, no one will bother.
Large cable and telephone companies are planning to do away with Net Neutrality. They´re asking Congress to pass legislation that allows them to control which Web sites get priority over everything else and which ones are left behind.
Don't be confused by the corporate pundits - they're using exactly the same arguments. The term that matters is NET NEUTRALITY. We the public have paid for the Internet's creation and operation. After more than 20 years of our investment, corporations want to claim ownership of the Internet.
The House supported quashing net neutrality. Now it goes to the Senate.
Here's an excellent report on the issue by NOW at PBS
