Last week, Gawker posted photographs of Sarah Palin‘s embargoed memoir–prompting HarperCollins to sue the popular website. U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Griesa ordered Gawker to remove the pages on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The matter will be revisited at a hearing on November 30th. Gawker has removed the pages of America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, and so far, no commentary has been posted on the site. Over at TechCrunch, author Paul Carr explored the controversy, arguing that HarperCollins is clinging to an outdated model of publicity. What do you think?
Here’s an excerpt: “[P]ublishers simply don’t have the luxury of controlling the flow of information any more. The idea that they can release thousands of preview copies of a new title, in electronic form, weeks (or even months) ahead of publication and rely on a gentleman’s agreement with the press that their embargo will be respected is simply laughable. Wholesale piracy is one thing, and if Gawker were offering the complete downloadable pdf (or even a full chapter) then the lawsuit would be both right and proper.”