Apparently, the Associated Press doesn't want anyone to steal their content. And by stealing, they mean repeating. Like if I wanted to tell a friend about a story I read, I'd say, "Dude, some guy went nuts today and he www.ap.org/stories/SITE=114355678933.htm. Isn't that awesome!" Or maybe if it appeared in print, I might be able to hold up the paper without violating the AP copyright.
What they want you to do is this:
What kind of web or intranet use would you like?
Free Web Post. Post this article on your website, blog, social networking page, or intranet for a limited time, free of charge, with ads. Includes the AP logo, copyright notice, and links. You can link to the article or display it using inline frames.
Instant Web Post. Get a web-friendly version of this article instantly. Includes the AP logo, copyright notice and links, with no ads. Hosted by iCopyright and guaranteed available for the term you specify. You can link to the article or display it using inline frames. Use this option if you don't want ads and want to post the article longer than 30 days.
Excerpt for Web Use. License parts of this article for republishing on your website or intranet. Pricing based on the number of words excerpted.
So from now on, if I need to blog about an AP story, I can only summarize the story. In other words, I retell the story to make it mine. Which now becomes my story and my copyright. The AP can't copyright names of geographic locations or chronological dates or individual's names, so I can use those freely. But the events, I will make up. They probably also don't want us to use personal quotations, quotes which are statements made by individuals who may dispute this forfeiture of ownership:
"I'm sorry, you don't own what you said. The second the AP reported your words, they ceased to be yours. If you want to maintain control of your property, keep your mouth shut and blog your thoughts later."
The Associated Press can kiss my ass. Or was that a given?
