The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) praised the passage in the House of Representatives of legislation providing federal
protection for newspapers against the unauthorized copying and commercial use
of databases, such as print and online classified advertisements.
NAA also commended Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) for his leadership in crafting
the Collections of Information Antipiracy Act (H.R. 2652) and successfully
navigating it through the House.
The bill prohibits the misappropriation of databases for commercial purposes.
Newspapers produce and own valuable databases, including their classified ads,
which are of primary importance to the industry both as a service to the
community and a key revenue source, the NAA said. More newspapers are putting
their classifieds online, and the threat of wholesale misappropriation has
increased, as other people take these ads and put them on their own sites
without authorization.
“Classified advertisements are vitally important to the newspaper industry,
and ensuring that adequate remedies are available to protect them is one of
NAA’s top priorities. This bill provides newspapers with much-needed
protection against piracy and misappropriation,” said John F. Sturm, NAA
president and CEO. The bill still must clear the Senate.