Monday, July 13, 2009

AP settles case over quoting news stories


NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press claimed today that it will collect undisclosed damages as part of its settlement with All Headline News, a website that quoted AP stories. The AP filed a the lawsuit to test the "hot news" doctrine. It claims this doctrine was established in another AP case in 1918 with the Supreme Court. The principle allegedlly holds that while facts cannot be copyrighted, news organizations can sue when competitors copy time-sensitive stories. The rule seems to be valid. AHN Media Corporation, the company behind All Headline News, agreed to stop improperly using time sensitive AP content, according to a joint release from the companies. A lawyer for AHN Media and its CEO, W. Jeffrey Brown, both declined to comment further.

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