This write-up may sound a bit strong but the issue should, in fact, be discussed.
Making Light: The Associated Press wants to charge you $12.50 to quote five words from them
There are different ways to look at these, whether or not people are taking sides. My personal perspective is that these rules The AP is trying to set may contribute to a very important chilling effect and that, in the long run, AP publications will suffer. I also think that we should strive to reach some form of agreement as to rules involving copyright. Laws don’t come in a vacuum.
I don’t mind the possibility that AP publications might suffer — they really deserve to. There are many occasions when that press reads like an outlet for the Bush regime — my latest irritation has been to see that they always put “imperialism” in scare quotes but never terrorism, as if there is no problem at all with the latter term. What I am not clear about is how they think they can defend their wishful thinking on the basis of any reading of copyright laws, which still allow for “fair use” as it is known in the U.S. Moreover, what is to prevent someone from totally rewriting an article, or summarizing it, and then linking back, if one values an AP article?
@MF Terrorism doesn’t need scare quotes because it’s already based on scare tactics?
One thing about this restricted view of copyright is that the paraphrasing it encourages can be more damaging than the direct quotes of discourages. Strange strategy.