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Archant apologises for lifting copy from independent news site

Posted: 03/07/09 By: Laura Oliver

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Regional newspaper publisher Archant has apologised to independent news and listings site SoGlos.com after lifting content from the website without permission.

Items from SoGlos were reproduced wholesale in Archant's Cotswold Life magazine in January and February of this year.

According to the site's publisher, James Fryer, original SoGlos editorial articles also appeared in The Oracle Gloucester, The Oracle Cheltenham and Cotswold Living magazines.

The apology from the publisher, which also ran online, said: "We are very sorry that we failed to seek permission, and we are therefore pleased to take this opportunity to apologise to SoGlos.com."

A spokesperson from Archant told Journalism.co.uk the company could not comment on specific cases, but that it had 'a strict policy not to use material in any of its publications to which it does not own the copyright, or have permission to use'.

Fryer said he was satisfied that the issue had been addressed and resolved by the apology, he told Journalism.co.uk.

Dealing with copyright infringements as an online publisher
The Archant example is just one of series of problems with copyright infringement faced by the site, Fryer added.

Since its launch in 2007 there have been 150 individual copyright infringements on content by around 20 different organisations - including both established and more amateur publishers, according to Fryer.

"Without reference to any specific media organisation, when we launched SoGlos.com in July 2007 we would never in a million years have expected to face any copyright infringement - let alone to the scale which has been the case," he said.

Tracking infringements involves scouring local media, relying on SoGlos readers to spot instances and using a system called Copyscape.com, explained Fryer.

"I appreciate that some media organisations don't have the inclination to track and enforce copyright infringements, and indeed don't see the value in doing so. But for SoGlos.com, the unauthorised use of our copyrighted editorial is something we take very seriously," he said.

"Our journalists spend a huge amount of time researching and writing copy, and as professionals we make a point of never reproducing press releases - which also means we can spot SoGlos.com's original content being used elsewhere very easily."

Fryer said he is concerned that more infringements occur online because web-based publications are not given the same prestige as printed titles.

Caroline Kean, a partner with law firm Wiggin, which has worked with SoGlos on some copyright cases, told Journalism.co.uk this attitude was still common among many establish news organisations.

Publishers, in particular independents such as Fryer, must make a policy decision as to whether they will chase copyright infringements and whether this is an editorial or financial issue for the publisher, added Kean.

If you own your own copyright, there is only limited statutory defences that can be given by someone who reproduces your work without permission, she said.

While the costs regained if a case of copyright infringement is one by the owner are not always substantial, Kean said the process of chasing such breaches would become less time-consuming the more it is done.

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