Fair Use and Blogging

A blogger in Tulsa has been threatened with legal action by the Tulsa World newspaper for reproducing articles and editorials from the Tulsa World newspaper and for "inappropriately" linking his website to Tulsa World content. The newpaper has demanded that he remove all Tulsa World content from his blog, including links to the Tulsa World web site. Haha! Yeah, right. Tulsa World Tulsa World Tulsa World

It sounds to me like Tulsa World doesn't have much of a case. Fair use, baby. Although bloggers do need to be careful and courteous when they use other people's material. Here are several sites with tips on avoiding copyright infringement:

Wired Magazine Fair Users Manual
Matt at Nerf-Coated World
4 Basic Questions About Copyright and Weblogs
14 Copyright Tips for Bloggers
New Media Musings: Fair Use of Photos on Blogs
Photo District News Online: Photos, Blogging, and Fair Use
James Joyner at Outside the Beltway (some links above from his blog)

Oh, and don't forget to let the folks at Tulsa World know what you think about their silly little newspaper.