Last week the Associated Press sent the Drudge Retort (with a “t” not a “p”) a letter asking that it remove excerpts of AP content — 39 to 79 words in length — saying it was a copyright infringement. Over the weekend, the AP backed off a bit on the letter, but said it was taking a new look at non-member bloggers and their use of AP content “when we feel the use is more reproduction than reference.” This, as you might imagine, has riled up the blogging masses. TechCrunch, for example, has banned AP stories on the site. “The AP doesn’t get to make it’s own rules around how its content is used, if those rules are stricter than the law allows,” writes Michael Arrington. Terry Heaton takes it a step further, “The real problem for the AP is that it can’t win this argument, and by pressing the issue, they’re very likely to end up with a business model that dies overnight.”
So, are blogs getting a free ride? Or is the AP going too far? Where do you draw the line between refererence and reproduction?