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NYT enforces copyright over bloggers

By Steven | March 20, 2009

I’ve noted before that lots of bloggers routinely flout copyright. One of the ways they do so is by lifting photos from others’ websites. This will rarely be protected by a defence of fair dealing. The US “fair use” defence is wider, but not that much wider. The New York Times has apparently gotten fed up with bloggers ripping off their photos and has written some dirty letters telling them to take them down.

Cue debate in blogosphere. Is this stupid and counter-productive, creating a disincentive to link to NYT’s website? Or is it a sensible attempt to protect their intellectual property rights? Or should copyright laws be changed to allow this sort of copying?

Topics: Copyright | Comments Off on NYT enforces copyright over bloggers