Biters bit, bite back

PUBLISHERS WHO want to re-use freelances' property for their own benefit are not happy when they're on the receiving end. The latest new-tech flap pits major news media players against a Website called totalnews.com, which has been "framing" news reports from other Web pages on its site. In TotalNews, with a click, computer users view outside content in a window. The host's logo and ads competing with ads from the original site alarms the publishers.

According to affected media companies, TotalNews "misappropriates" copyrighted material. A gang led by CNN, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post is suing TotalNews for trademark and copyright infringement.

BY Dan Carlinsky

ASJA New York