The controversy over the Associated Press trying to create its own rules about bloggers quoting from its headlines and articles, above what the law already provides, is now a news story in England. In the video above, Sky News interviews TechCrunch UK editor Mike Butcher about the imbroglio. He points out that as long as bloggers use excerpts and link back to the original article, the law is on their side and the AP is in the wrong. Of course, we’ve already banned the AP from TechCrunch, and Mike keeps arguing with the NYT about its misguided support for the AP’s position
Some choice Butcherisms from the interview:
This is a huge banana skin they’ve slipped on.
It is impossible to control what happens on the Internet. It is a little bit like saying everyone should walk a certain way around London. It is absolutely pointless.
The Internet, some might say, is one big photocopying machine. But legitimate Websites will really just quote and link back. And it is up to mainstream media organizations to deal with the fact that this is going to happen and wake up to the new reality.