The Hindu : Front Page : Modi climbs down on IPL media guidelines issue

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Sunday, Apr 13, 2008
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Modi climbs down on IPL media guidelines issue

G. Viswanath

Mumbai: Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL), who met representatives of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) here on Saturday, claimed to The Hindu that the problems relating to the contentious terms and conditions of the Media Guidelines – even after they were revised once by IPL – may have been resolved.

“I have dropped the last clause, allowed the websites of the newspapers to upload a reasonable number of pictures [instead of six] and clarified certain clauses to them. We have agreed in principle on all matters,” Mr. Modi told this correspondent.

Clause dropped

The following clause has been dropped altogether: “IPL may request publications to provide for use and reproduction, free of charge, worldwide and without limit in time any photographs/images captured by the Accredited Party at any Ground and the Accredited Party shall make the same available to IPL.”

Another clause restricted newspapers to the use of only six pictures per match on their websites. According to this particular clause, “No online use or publication or syndication of any such still photographic images is allowed except for the website of the publication. Only used photos can be put on website of a publication. In the media gallery of the website, six more pictures other than those used in the publication can be used.” IPL has now agreed to the use of a “reasonable number of pictures.”

It is understood that the national news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) would be allowed to supply pictures to general websites, but not to cricket-dedicated ones. Mr. Modi, who has discussed website-related issues with PTI’s Executive Editor V.S. Chandrashekar, said he would prefer the latter to make an official statement on the matter.

The INS representatives who met Mr. Modi were: Messrs. H. N. Cama (Mumbai Samachar), Pratap Pawar and Abhijeet Pawar (Sakal Group), Devendra Darda (Lokmat) and Paresh Nath (Delhi Press).

There has been no response yet to Mr. Modi’s climbdown by the Editors’ Guild of India and the Indian Newspaper Society, which had earlier termed the guidelines unacceptable.

IPL's revised clauses also unacceptable: Editors Guild

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