NextGen PRose

Bloggers Divided Over RSS and Copyright Control

Here's an interesting development in the blog world.  First, Martin Schwimmer, an attorney and publisher of The Trademark Blog, asked Bloglines to remove his RSS feed from their site. 

It was brought to my attention that a website named Bloglines was reproducing the Trademark Blog, surrounding it with its own frame, stripping the page of my contact info.  It identifies itself as a news aggregator.  It is not authorized to reproduce my content nor to change the appearance of my pages, which it does.

Then Scoble responds.

What is different about Bloglines than, say, NewsGator? Is Martin saying I can't look at his writings in ANY news aggregator, or is he discriminating only against online news aggregators? I say: if you don't want your writings to be republished in a news aggregator, don't publish an RSS feed.

Then the blogosphere responds--including A-listers like Dave Winer--and a division forms over the issue of RSS and copyright control. 

Then Schwimmer clarifies his actions and Scoble captures blogger reaction (moreso in his favor).  Finally, Scoble justifies his stance.

The dynamics of this exchange are intriguing--a seemingly nobody blogger vs. an Alpha.  I would imagine that an analysis of the blogosphere response to this exchange would portray the majority on the side of Scoble, even though Schwimmer has every right (and a good argument) to ask for the removal of his feed from Bloglines.  Why is this?  And why haven't some, who would normally be vocal on a topic like this, spoken their mind.  Would it have been different if the tables were turned?  Hmmm.  Bummer though for Schwimmer's 190 subscribers--they'll have to be doing some old school Web surfing.