________________________________________________________________________________ /* see: http://rolux.org/archive/show.php3?message=360 */ Dutch papers fail in internet copyright case Financial Times, Aug 23, 2000, 309 words Leading Dutch newspapers yesterday failed to prevent an online news service from providing direct links to articles on newspaper websites, in a legal ruling that helps define the limits of internet copyright. PCM, publisher of most of the country's national dailies, had sought an injunction against the recently established Kranten.com, whose site consists largely of news headlines. Clicking on any of these takes an internet user to the full text of the article, displayed on the site of the newspaper itself. The company said this bypassed the main home page of its titles, which were the most lucrative for advertising revenue. A Rotterdam court found, however, that PCM could just as easily place advertisements next to individual news items, and that external links only brought it extra traffic. The judgment supports Kranten's contention that the basis of the internet relies on hypertext links, where a mouse-click on one site can take the user to related information in a domain controlled by a third party. PCM had argued that this was equivalent to "knocking a hole in a side wall of a cafe" owned by someone else, and demanding that those who entered by that route "bought a drink from a stall set up outside". This was a reference to the advertising that funds the Kranten site - on which space has been taken by large Dutch groups including ABN Amro Bank and Ohra, the insurer owned by CGNU of the UK. Although news headline aggregation services are common online businesses in a number of countries they almost always are set up with prior agreement with newspaper publishers, obiviating the need for a copyright ruling. Online sources of domestic news are growing rapidly in the Netherlands, where close to half the population has access to the internet. The decision allows a place for services that consolidate this information, so users will not have to visit numerous different sites to keep up to date. PCM is now considering setting up a similar service retain more control over revenue and content. http://search.ft.com/search/multi/globalarchive.jsp?docId=000823000356 ________________________________________________________________________________ no copyright 2000 rolux.org - no commercial use without permission. is a moderated mailing list for the advancement of minor criticism. post to the list: mailto:inbox@rolux.org. more information: mailto:minordomo@rolux.org, no subject line, message body: info rolux. further questions: mailto:rolux-owner@rolux.org. home: http://rolux.org/lists - archive: http://rolux.org/archive