March30,2011By
Electt'onic
MailRe:UnauthorizedUseofIntellectualPropertyAliDavarChiefExecutiveOfficerZiteDearMr.Davar:TheundersignedrepresentAdvancePublications,Inc.,TheAssociatedPress,DowJones
&
Company,Inc.,GannettCo.,Inc.,GettyImages,TheMcClatchyCompany,theNationalGeographicSociety,TheE.W.ScrippsCompany,TimeInc.,TheSlateGroup,andTheWashingtonPost.OurclientsaresomeofthemanypublishersandprovidersofnewsandotheroriginalcontentwhosematerialisaggregatedanddisplayedinyourZiteiPadapplication.Zite-withoutourpermission-publishesreformattedcopiesofourarticles,photographs,andillustrationstousersinacustomizedmannerbasedonthoseusers'preferencesandbehavior.Wehavereviewedyourapplicationcarefully.WewritetoexplainhowZitedamagesourbusinessesbymisappropriatingourintellectualproperty,andtoinsistthatyouimmediatelystopdoingso.Collectively,ourcompaniesgatherandlicenseoriginalcontenttoproducemorethan300newspapers,magazines,andnewsbroadcastsonaregularbasis,andweoperateandupdateseveralhundrednewsandinformationwebsites24hoursaday,365daysayear.Asagroup,wepublishthousandsoforiginalarticles,columns,photographs,illustrations,videosegments,audiorecordings,andothertypesofnewsandinformationcontenteveryday.Westrivetokeepthepubliccontinuouslyinformedaboutnewsandotherdevelopmentsthroughouttheworld-fromthedevastatingeventsinJapan,totheturmoilintheMiddleEast,tothecommunityimpactofnewconstructiondowntheblock.Toidentify,research,create,anddistributethissortoforiginalcontentrequiresasubstantialundertakingandinvestment.Ourcompaniesemployorcontractwithmanythousandsofpeoplewhoinvestigate,reportandpublishouroriginalcontent,andwespendhundredsofmillionsofdollarsannuallyonout'newsandinformationgatheringandreporting.Bysystematicallyreformatting,republishing,andredistributingouroriginalcontentonamasscommercialscalewithoutourpermissioninyouriPadapplication,Zitedirectlyandadverselyimpactsourbusinesses.Yourapplicationtakestheintellectualpropertyofourcompanies,aswellasthehardandsometimesdangerousworkoftensofthousandsofpeople.Itdeprivesourwebsitesoftrafficandadvertisingrevenue.Wedonotknowyourintentions,butyouractionsharm
OUl'
companiesandthebroadermediaandnewsindustryonwhichyourapplicationreliesforitscontent.TheZiteapplicationisplainlyunlawful.Amongotherthings,itintentionallyandpervasivelyinfringesonourcopyrightsbyreformattingandrepublishingsubstantialportions(andinmanycases,theentirety)ofourarticlesandlarge-scalereproductionsofourphotographsandillustrations.Further,itmisappropriatesandinfringesourtrademarksandfalselyimpliesouraffiliationbyprominentlyfeaturingcertainofourlogosonyourhomescreen.Ziteusesourcontentforcommercialpurposesinamannerthatthelawprohibitsabsentagreementswitheachofus.Wedemandthatyouimmediatelyceaseanddesistallsuchinfringinguseofourintellectualproperty,bothcopyrightandtrademark,inorinconnectionwiththeZiteiPadapplication.
--
AliDavarMarch30,2011Page2of3Weencourageandsupportthedevelopmentofnewtechnologiesthatfacilitateinnovativeusesofourcontent-butthoseusesmustbesubjecttoouradvanceconsent.Wewelcomeanyopportunityforopendiscussionsamongmembersoftherelevantindustriesandthepublictodevelopsolutionsthatcanpromoteappropriateusesof
OUI'
contentintothefuture.[SIGNATUREPAGEFOLLOWS]Pleasehaveyourcounselcontacteachoftheattorneyslistedbelowindividuallyifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutthismatter.
AliDavarMarch30,2011Page
3of3
Sincerely,
Jerry
S
irenz
Sabin,Bermant
&
GouldLLPOnbehalfofAdvancePublications,Inc.FourTimesSquare,23rdFloor
NewYork,NY
10036212-381-7057(phone);212-381-7201(fax)LauraMaloneAssociateGeneralCounsel,IntellectualPropertyTheAssociatedPress450West33rdStreet
NewYork,
NY
10001212-621-7938(phone);212-621-5456(fax)Jason
P.
ContiVicePresident
&
AssociateGeneralCounselDowJones
&
Company,Inc.1211AvenueoftheAmericas,7thFloorNewYork,NY10036212-416-2164(phone);212-416-2524(fax)BarbaraWallVP
&
SeniorAssociateGeneralCounselGannettCo.,Inc.7950JonesBranchDriveMcLean,VA22107703-854-6951(phone);703-854-2031(fax)LisaWillmerDirector,CorporateCounselGettyImages601
N.
34thStreetSeattle,
WA
98103206-925-6792(phone)LemmeS.MacelVicePresident,AssociateGeneralCounselNationalGeographicSociety114517thStreetNWWashington,DC20036202-828-6654(phone);202-857-5874(fax)Karole
Morgan-Prager
VP,GeneralCounsel
The
McClatchyCompany2100
Q
StreetSacramento,CA95816916-321-1828(phone);916-326-5586(fax)DavidM.GilesVPDeputyGeneralCounselThe
E.W.
ScrippsCompany513-977-3892(fax)Andrew
Laehow
VPandDeputyGeneralCounsel-LitigationTime
Inc.
212-522-8307(phone);212-467-0860(fax)Timothy
L.
JucovyAssociateCounsel
The
WashingtonPostand
The
Slate
Group
115015thStreetNWWashington,DC20071202-334-9266(phone);202-334-5075(fax)
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Letter to Zite
An unusually large group of media companies — including Advance Publications, the parent company of the company which owns Wired — have begun legal action against Zite, a relatively new iPad media app which aggregates news stories based on your Twitter and Google Reader activity.
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