ASJA: 'Newspapers Are Big Online.' And Your Point?

The American Society of Journalists and Authors, in the latest edition of its periodic newsletter Contracts Watch, notes an internal industry study showing that there were 3 billion page views of newspaper website pages in the first quarter of 2007.

"So when you hear how practically unimportant the web is to papers," Contracts Watch comments, "let them know their own news -- and negotiate accordingly."

Fair enough, as far it goes. What Contracts Watch leaves unanswered is why ASJA -- along with the other associational plaintiffs, the Authors Guild and the National Writers Union -- didn't "negotiate accordingly" when they struck their sellout copyright class action settlement. We're left to conclude that the organizations' raison d'etre is to huff and puff before ultimately hanging their members, and all writers, out to dry.

Contracts Watch is distributed via email and viewable at http://asja.org/cw/cw.php?id_number=87.

Our slate of objectors has appealed the approval of the class action settlement. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has taken briefs and heard arguments, and will rule in the coming weeks or months.