News Aggregators

The legality of news aggregation remains fuzzy.

General Observation

The legality of news aggregation in terms of copyright can vary depending on the specific circumstances and laws of the country in question. In general, however, news aggregation sites that simply link to articles or other content published by other sources are generally not considered to be infringing on the copyright of the original content. This is because linking to content online is generally considered to be a fair use of the content, as it does not involve reproducing or distributing copies of the work.

However, news aggregation sites that reproduce or republish significant portions of original news articles or other content may be infringing on the copyright of the original content. In these cases, the news aggregation site may need to obtain permission from the copyright holder or rely on fair use or fair dealing provisions in copyright law to use the content.

It is important to note that the specific laws and regulations related to copyright and news aggregation can vary significantly from country to country. It is recommended to consult with a legal professional or seek guidance from a copyright office or other authority for more information about the specific laws and regulations that apply in your country.

Hot news and misappropriation

In the United States, the law acknowledges some "quasi property rights" or an approximate right of ownership on ephemeral, time-sensitive information (like match scores, or stock prices). This ephemeral(short-lived), time-sensitive information is a subset of what we call "hot-news".

‌As per the United States law, you cannot copyright news (because they are facts and facts cannot be copyrighted). But when someone acquires time-sensitive facts(such as match scores and stock prices) as the result of organization and the expenditure of labour, skill, and money - which is salable by them for money. They can claim quasi property rights on this information for a brief amount time(Exactly how much time news items remain “hot-news” is not defined, leaving that to be specified individually on a case by case basis). Because if a second party in appropriating it and selling it as its own is endeavouring to reap where it has not sown (highlighted parts are from the INS case verdict. For details, see below)

The hot-news Doctrine was initially recognized in the year 1918 in the United States in the case International News Service v. Associated Press (INS v. AP or simply INS case). The decision of the INS case introduced the legal principle of misappropriation as a "quasi-property right". This doctrine is also known as the INS doctrine.

‌As per the Wikipedia, The current viability of the misappropriation doctrine is uncertain because of subsequent developments in U.S. patent and copyright law that "preempt" state law that operates in the same field of law

Last updated