NYT Editor Claims Livemint Is Lifting Stories; Mint Says There’s A Syndication Deal

The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) has accused Livemint of lifting content from its Sunday Business section. Patricia Kranz, deputy Sunday Business editor, New York Times has written to Poynter saying that “We have discovered a website called livemint.com, which is — according to the website — a “partner” of The Wall Street Journal, that has lifted stories from the Sunday Business section of the New York Times without permission or attribution”

Kranz cites the example of this story which appeared in NYT on March 2nd, and was reproduced at Livemint on March 9th. Kranz is wrong about the attribution bit – livemint has attributed both the journalist and NYT in that article. Note that Livemint.com doesn’t list NYT as a ‘partner’, though it does list the Wall Street Journal (Update: Mint says that WSJ is an exclusive partner, while NYT is a syndication arrangement, hence not listed). In October last year, Mint itself had been granted a stay order, preventing e-Eighteen.com (moneycontrol.com) from publishing a column from Mint, without a license or a formal consent.

Raju Narisetti, Editor of Mint, has told ContentSutra that there is a syndication deal in place between HT Media and NYT syndication, adding that “Mint’s site has our Code of Conduct right at the top and we take our journalism ethics very, very seriously.” So it appears that Kranz sent the letter to Poynter without realizing that there is an arrangement.

We’ve received a copy of the official response from Mint’s legal department to NYT, reproduced in full in the extended text.

Sub.:- Your Notice dated March 10, 2008
Dear Ms Beshaw

We are in receipt of your subject notice for the alleged violation of U.S. Copyright laws.

At the outset we wish to point out that we are an organization, which prides itself in its respect for Intellectual Property and we as an organization entirely discourage any activity that impinges on the Intellectual Property Rights of Third Parties.

We deny all the allegations in the subject notice.

We have given our anxious consideration to the various allegations raised by you in your above-referenced notice and we have to submit that we have posted the subject article on our web-site in terms of duly executed and validly existing syndication agreement between your company and HT Media Ltd. We are enclosing copy of the said agreement for your ready reference and records.

You are therefore requested to withdraw the subject notice at the earliest with intimation to us and update your records to reflect the validly existing agreement between your company and our company.

Regards,

For HT Media Ltd.

Dinesh Mittal
(V.P.-Legal, Tax & Company Secretary)