AP threatens station for posting AP’s YouTube videos

The Associated Press (AP) has sent a cease and desist letter to a Tennessee radio station earlier this week claiming copyright violations. In the letter, the AP claimed WTNQ-FM in LaFollette, TN violated their copyright by embedding the AP’s YouTube videos on the station’s website. In this video, I speak with WTNQ’s Frank Strovel who is dealing with the AP on this matter. The AP posts video content to a robust YouTube channel that allows anyone to embed the content on websites and blogs. Any YouTube channel owner can disable the embed code. AP has chosen to publish the embed code. When the AP was reached by phone by WTNQ’s Frank Strovel for clarification on their cease and desist, AP said they weren’t aware they had a YouTube channel, saying they’ll look into the “Youtube issue” and get back with the station. Let me repeat that. The AP’s web team posts video to the AP’s YouTube for anyone to embed, but AP’s Vice President of Affiliate Relations in Chicago and AP’s own legal department have no clue their YouTube channel exists. Apparently, executives and attorneys at AP have no clue that the AP YouTube channel is designed so that people will embed these videos like WTNQ-FM did legally. The AP VP and attorney’s general lack of understanding led them to publicly embarass their news organization with this foolish claim of copyright violation. What is happening to the Associated Press? Does AP seriously have executives and attorneys who are this clueless about their own …