According to the alarmed post at the middle link there (a post at WebPro News), the AP is trying to outlaw linking, and could be preparing to sue Google and other search engines for returning AP stories as search results. Which seems a little backwards--don't people click through and read news stories they retrieve as search results, thereby giving precious eyeball time to the content creator?
I'm not sure I see an outright threat to the very practice of linking in this story (hence my rampant linkage here), but I am not an expert, so it might easily be there.
A story from the New York Times (via WebProNews again) suggests that, in fact, one part of the concern is to make sure that search engines return the original AP work to searchers, rather than a version posted somewhere else. Which I can see being a concern, but telling search engines which results they have to put first is problematic.
There's also some copyright concern (oh, copyright!--we meet again!), as there's a question of whether or not posting snippets of works owned by other people/organizations is Fair Use. News aggregator sites have operated under the assumption that it is, but the AP, if it really wants to crack down on use of its content, may wind up challenging that.
I certainly can't feign surprise and horror that the AP wants to control its work and make some money. I too enjoy receiving credit for the works of my fabulous intellect, as well as money.
Webverse-changing new crackdowns, though, that does make one wonder and doubt. Could this change the internet as we know it? For the worse, even?
Time, I suppose, will tell. Time and copyright law. So we're doomed.
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