“Going Viral” by Stealing Content: Can the Law Cure the Problem of Viral Content Farming?

Authors

Sara Gates, Fordham University School of Law

Keywords

Content Farming, Media, Journalism, Copyright law, Fair Use, Content Creators

Abstract

Part I introduces the concept of viral content farming, examines its origins, points out how it differs from aggregation, and consid-ers the purpose behind the practice. The Part looks at how compa-nies such as Google and Facebook have responded, and examines the overall impact on journalism and the Internet. Part II presents a possible ethical solution within the journalism industry and consid-ers resolutions in the law by describing the “hot news” misappro-priation doctrine and copyright law. Part III scrutinizes three pro-posals and discusses why copyright law is the most appropriate solution to the problem, then analyzes content farming within the framework of the U.S. copyright regime.

Recommended Citation

Sara Gates, “Going Viral” by Stealing Content: Can the Law Cure the Problem of Viral Content Farming?, 26 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 689 (2016).
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/iplj/vol26/iss3/4