What Every Hyperlocal Publisher Needs to Know About Non-Competes
Hyperlocals need to study their advertising agreements closely, and determine whether they can honor — or live with — the restrictions that an ad representative, agency or ad network is imposing on them. Restrictions can influence the layout of a page, and whether publishers can work with other partners for display ads on their pages…
Court Weighs Dismissal of HuffPo Suit — Implications for Hyperlocals
A Federal Court in New York City is holding a hearing this afternoon to decide whether it will dismiss a lawsuit filed against the Huffington Post by unpaid writers and contributors who claim they’re entitled to a share of the proceeds from AOL’s 2011 purchase of the news site. The ruling may affect the future of hyperlocal publishers’ relationships with their contributors…
California Requires App Makers to Post Privacy Policies
The California Attorney General’s office has struck a deal with Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion in which the companies will require mobile app developers to post privacy policies. This means that many hyperlocal apps that use location data may be required to provide privacy information.
Hyperlocals Need to Protect Their Social Media Branding
Customer lists, brand names, and social media accounts are valuable assets for hyperlocal news publishers, and they should be protected like money. Publishers should put agreements in place to stipulate that any online accounts provided in connection with site business remain with the publisher upon termination of any relationship…
Study Finds Local Online Ad Outlook Strong; Calls for Mobile Regulation
Marketers are becoming bullish about their current and future investment in local advertising, particularly in local online media, according to a study released this week by GMSLocal. However, members of Congress such as Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) believe that the mobile technology that could drive such growth may need stricter regulation…
How Should Hyperlocal Sites Handle User Information?
Publishers should be transparent on their information practices with their users. Such transparency should include what information publishers collect from their users, how the information may be used, whether publishers may share such information, what choices users have with their information, and keeping such data secure…
Lessons for Hyperlocal Publishers in Cheerleader’s Defamation Suit
Immunity for defamatory claims are limited only to circumstances in which a user has uploaded content without the knowledge or encouragement of the publisher. Immunity likely is lost once publishers become involved in selecting or editing user content, or if the publishers add their own negative comments.
Hyperlocal Publishers Join SOPA Protest
Online publishers large and small went dark yesterday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act currently pending in Congress. Declared the “Web Goes on Strike” day by Fight for the Future, sites such as Wikipedia and hyperlocal city directories like City View have gone entirely dark. Google placed a black banner over its logo and included a link “Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web.”
IAB Counsel: Push to Regulate Online Ads May Lose Traction
Hyperlocal news publishers have a better chance to prosper with targeted display advertising that is self-regulated, according to Mike Zaneis, the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s General Counsel and Senior Vice President of public policy. Industry groups like the IAB fear government regulations may slow growth for the online industry…
Media Companies Slam SOPA Alternative — What It Means for Hyperlocals
Representatives of large media companies are opposing a new anti-piracy bill introduced by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Darell Issa (R-Calif.) that offers an alternative to another bill — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) — which critics say place to much burden on hyperlocal news publishers and other web sites…
Protecting Hyperlocal Sites From User Malfeasance
The socialization of news sites encourages users to post comments and content, but such postings may be peppered with plagiarized content that infringes copyrights. Surprisingly, many hyperlocal publishers fail to take simple steps that could insulate their liability for content provided by users…
Hyperlocals and Fair Use: When Content Aggregation Becomes a Liability
Wholesale copying of other content without permission will lead to trouble for hyperlocals. Using short excerpts, as part of a news or commentary with proper attribution and a direct link to the original site, may be protected from infringement claims under the fair use doctrine…