To Beat Antitrust Rap, Papers Take Cues From Songwriters

Ailing news organizations seeking to make money from both online readers and the Web sites that republish their stories are looking at the way music publishers collect a fraction of a cent for every song played in public, from the corner bowling alley to the stage of "American Idol."

That model, a major topic of discussion at a private meeting of newspaper executives last week, raises an important question: Can newspapers band together to demand payment from Web sites that use their content?

The answer is yes, provided they are careful about the law. [Click for MORE]

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How the Obama Administration Can Save Newspapers

It needs to get over antitrust concerns and allow papers to find more ways to charge for online content.

Executives from many of America's leading newspaper companies and the head of the Associated Press met quietly in Chicago on Thursday to discuss ways to increase revenues from their online operations -- presumably by charging visitors to their websites -- as well as how to recapture some share of their catastrophically declining classified ad business.

The meeting, whose participants included an antitrust lawyer to make sure the conversation didn't stray into impermissible collusion or price-fixing, was conducted under the auspices of the Newspaper Assn. of America, and its agenda was titled "Models to Lawfully Monetize Content." These guys may be slow on the uptake, but their legal departments have schooled them well in risk management. [Click for MORE] Sphere: Related Content

Would it be anti-trust?

Would it be an anti-trust violation for newspaper groups like Gannett, McClatchy, Tribune, NY Times, etc. to get together and simultaneously switch their websites to paid subscription, ending all free access?

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