Nevertheless, the AP backed down and the conversation continues. The Media Bloggers Association is in the process of developing an e-course for bloggers on media law and will be offering liability insurance to bloggers in case its members are sued for some reason - you know, like copyright infringement or libel. Personally, I think the greater threat is libel, but copyright infringement is an issue because there are media outlets like the Associate Press and Time Warner that seem to think they own all rights to their own content. In other words, they don’t understand Fair Use.
In essence, its an issue of bullying. Once a large media company gets to a certain size and has a certain amount of political, legal, and financial clout, they start to bullying smaller companies, sending threatening letters, and trying hard to “protect their turf.” I know because I’ve had this happen to me before.
I support this action from the Media Bloggers Association:
Up until now, we have been quietly going about revamping the MBA with the centerpiece of those efforts being the first-ever media liability insurance product for bloggers. We will also offer an online training course on media law for bloggers; MBA applicants will have to answer questions about that course in order to be approved for membership and get access to the insurance program which will entitle them to a significant discount on the annual premium.
Where can I sign up?
