Trying to censor blogger - conservative radio station demands liberal critic quit using audio clips

[Kadie]

Trying to censor blogger
Owner of conservative radio station KSFO demands liberal critic quit using audio clips
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, January 11, 2007

A series of events involving a local liberal blogger, a San Francisco conservative radio station and the reaction of two of the larger corporate advertisers in the country -- Bank of America and MasterCard -- is revealing how slippery freedom of speech has become in the digital age.

The tale of Spocko, a self-described "fifth-tier" blogger who lives in San Francisco, exemplifies how one person with a computer and an Internet hookup can challenge the views of a major media corporation -- and what a media corporation will do to stop him.

For the past year, Spocko has been e-mailing advertisers of KSFO-AM with audio clips from its shows and asking sponsors to examine what they're supporting. Some sponsors have pulled their ads, after hearing clips like one of KSFO's Lee Rodgers suggesting that a protester be "stomped to death right there. Just stomp their bleeping guts out."

Now, bloggers and media freedom advocates are concerned about the legal reaction from Disney/ABC-owned KSFO. Shortly before Christmas, an ABC lawyer demanded that Spocko remove audio clips from his blog on the grounds that Spocko's posting of KSFO content was illegal. Digital freedom advocates counter that the clips constitute fair use and worry that critical voices could be silenced by corporations threatening legal action for violation of copyright law.

"That's inevitably been the modus operandi of the media companies in these types of situations," said Ronald Coleman, legal counsel for the Media Bloggers Association, which provides legal support to bloggers. "It doesn't matter the size of the blogger."

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/11/MNGHLNGH2N1.DTL

[NorthernSpy]

1. this is *classic* fair use -- not so much as a smudge of "grey area" here...

The company just wants to prevent loss of ad revenue resulting from criticism of their use of the public airwaves. I'm sure they know that legally, they haven't a case. Corporations often bring meritless lawsuits against individuals who challenged them; this tactic allows the corporation -- which has an enormous advantage in resources available to devote to litigation -- to effectively drive up the cost of exercising ones civil rights (even if the company has no hope of prevailing in court).

[JNelson6563]

2. hahaha! I love it!

They hate it when their shit is served back to 'em don't they? :rofl:

Julie