Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

EU Publishers Want a Law To Control Online News

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the protect-yourself-right-out-of-the-market dept.

suraj.sun writes with news that European publishers are also seeking ways to "protect" their content from the big bad intertubes. Their rant, termed the "Hamburg Declaration," asks the government to step in with a legislative fix. "Most of the statements in the relatively short declaration, which will surely take its place among thousands of other European declarations on intellectual property and other matters that have come out over the past few years, hinge on the idea that 'universal access to news' does not equal 'free.' In this respect, the publishers want to maintain the democratic ideal of a 'fourth estate' that provides news to an informed citizenry, while simultaneously restricting access to that news to those who can pay for it directly. What sets this declaration apart from the other Hamburg declarations out there, or from the various Geneva declarations or Berlin declarations, is that this one is intended to give the publishers' favorite solution to the news-stealing problem, the Automated Content Access Protocol, the force of law."

10 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. This won't Work by dmacleod808 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    people will gravitate towards free. If they go pay... people will just go elsewhere its simple as that, law or no law.

    --
    There Can Be Only One...
    1. Re:This won't Work by RDW · · Score: 5, Insightful

      'people will gravitate towards free. If they go pay... people will just go elsewhere its simple as that, law or no law.'

      Well, I think we should at least consider the terms of their proposal carefully. Check out the full text below:

      "Hamburg Declaration regarding intellectual property rights

      The Internet offers immense opportunities to professional journalism - but only if the basis for profitability remains secure throughout the digital channels of distribution. This is currently [ERROR! ACAP VIOLATION IN PROGRESS! YOU HAVE EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CHARACTERS ALLOCATED TO THIS NEWS AGGREGATOR! PLEASE DEPOSIT EUR 50 TO READ THE NEXT 100 WORDS OF THIS ARTICLE!]"

  2. If you don't want it indexed, then either by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. Don't put it on the web
    2. Learn how to use robots.txt

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
    1. Re:If you don't want it indexed, then either by MozeeToby · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You misunderstand their argument. Of course they want it indexed, just look at how many thousands of people look at their news everyday that wouldn't if it weren't indexed. They desperately want that readership... to pay them for the service. They aren't saying "we don't want people to read us", they're saying "we want everyone who reads us to pay for it".

      Saying robots.txt is like telling a hungry 2 year old that they can't have a Popsicle and should go eat a green beans instead. Yeah, the green beans will make them not hungry, but it's the damn Popsicle that they want (incidentally, you'll get about the same response from either group).

  3. The Internet Says "No" by flydude18 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sorry.

  4. I wish they'd focus on the news by reboot246 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'd settle for news organizations doing a better job of reporting the news, and stop the spinning and opinions. I'd pay for real news with no bias.

    Just the facts as best you can report them please. Leave your opinions at home.

  5. People are mis-understanding this issue: by popo · · Score: 5, Informative

    This isn't about free web content, or copyright.

    The newspapers are trying to establish ownership of the underlying INFORMATION, not just the words they use to convey that information.

    Newspapers who actually go out and "get" news are trying to establish control over that information so that those who re-report do not compete directly with the original report.

    This isn't about copyright, it is about establishing a new 'estate' of IP which establishes ownership over directly sourced/reported information.

    --
    ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
  6. Re:freedom will not be found in "free" countries by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wouldn't go that far. The (much less ironic) observation is that different governments have different priorities and their policing tactics reflect this.

    China doesn't much care about bourgeois western "intellectual property", so you can send spam hawking pirated software all you want. Send out invites for your next falun gong meeting or democracy protest, though, and you'll discover what 'so called "unfree"' really means.

    The US is quite solid on speech that doesn't upset major corporations, and is an excellent spot for saying mean things about religious figures, expressing all kinds of fun political theories, hosting your "handguns I have known and loved" archive or whatever. Not such a good place to host "WareZ and DeCSS 4LyFE!", though.

    There are plenty of locations(though exactly where they are tends to drift over time) where the state is weak enough, or enough in need of foreign investment/aid, that(as long as you maintain a polite disinterest in local politics, and pay the occasional bribe) they won't really bother you at all. Pretty much any government will come down on you like a ton of bricks in response to some class of actions on your part and pretty much any government has another class of activities of which it approves, or simply doesn't care.

  7. Search engine retaliation by zogger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The big dogs like google could start charging these guys to index their precious. I wish they would have done something like that rather than cave into AP, etc, for just quoting little snippets to have *something* to show where this news link was coming from. Do it on a case by case basis, the various news websites want their news paywall to be indexed, they should pay for that professional servgice, if they don't throw up a paywall, then they get indexed for free, like today. Ball is in the news orgs court then when it comes to what they think things are worth or not.

    I have mixed feelings about google, but sometimes I think they are too nice and cave in too readily. It can't be that much fun to be the biggest of the big dogs and not get to bite some ass once in awhile.

  8. American newspapers by andersh · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While that is true for many American newspapers it's not the same for European newspapers. And Europeans read more newspapers than the average US American (according to the int'l newspaper association).

    Then again Europe is not a country and with over 47 countries there are a whole lot of variety in newspapers (and sources).

    In my own country newspapers are seen as an important public function and are subsidized to support independent, varied and local reporting. It's given to support political views and cultural issues such as publishing in the regional language (official language, not dialect). Small, regional newspapers are seen as part of the democratic foundation of my country. I suppose that's why my countrymen and I read the most newspaper per capita in the world.