NewsRight: Has Main Stream Media Found a Bigger and Better Righthaven Model? Many Think So. Bloggers, Beware.

This past month, concern has grown over NewsRight, which has many of Main Stream Media's biggest companies (Associated Press is its shareholder, others include the New York Times), working together in their fight to stop various web sites (bloggers, news aggregators) from profiting off their words.

You'll remember my post from long ago, where AP was wanting to be paid per word for its content.  If you quoted - or cut and pasted - over five words from one of its stories, AP expected to be paid. Five words, fork over $12.50.  

That didn't work, apparently.  And now, these MSM folk have banded together to form NewsRight.  You can read what they want you to know about this new venture on their website.

Meanwhile, consider what others are thinking. 

MediaPost hat tips to Righthaven as it discusses NewsRight as an attempt to stop "scrapping" of news stories by web sites. Techdirt considers NewsRight to be "Righthaven Lite," since they don't appear to be as sue-happy as Righthaven was (Righthaven would sue without any advance cease and desist notice).   At least one media law professor seems to agree - we won't see lots of lawsuits being filed (yet). 
 
And, for an different perspective, consider Nieman Labs optimistic take on things:  NewsRight is a good thing.  Really.