AP Says News Aggregator Infringes Copyright

As many traditional businesses have done before it, Associated Press digs in to protect its core business from disruption in a digital age:

The Associated Press on Tuesday took aim at Meltwater, a company that offers a paid clipping service to clients including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“Meltwater has built its business on the willful exploitation and copying of the AP’s and other publishers’ news articles for profit,” the AP alleges in a lawsuit accusing Meltwater of infringing copyright and misappropriating so-called “hot news.”

“Meltwater contributes no creative content and provides no editorial commentary,” states the complaint, which was filed in the Southern District of New York. “Its business serves no independent purpose other than the distribution of news created by others.”

The lawsuit accuses Meltwater of infringing copyright by “routinely copying verbatim the heart of the AP’s and other publishers’ news stories and selling that content to its subscribers for a profit.”

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