Paid news is old, unpaid ads is new

December 05, 2014 11:24

Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad's leading newspaper, has filed a criminal complaint against the Times of India for republishing its classified ads and passing them off as its own.

That India's leading newspaper, through its Medianet, charges a fee for having articles published is now part of publishing lore. But this charge by Deccan Chronicle, if upheld by the courts, would mean that while articles are paid for, ads are for free!

Deccan Chronicle, which has managed to hold on to its market leader position despite the attack from ToI for the last 14 years, has published images of its classified ads that were republished by its rival after a few days -- complete with its name, CA codes and box numbers which are unique to it.

This practice, says Deccan Chronicle, was resorted to by the ToI from January 2013 to June that year, and some 1000-odd ads were thus lifted. It was a time when DC's web edition was in .pdf format, making such lifting possible, and the practice halted once DC moved to publishing its ads in .jpg format in low resolution, making reproduction impossible.

Why did the ToI do it? Deccan Chronicle says in a report that the mark of a newspaper's success lies in the strength of its classified ads, which attests to its popularity among readers as well its ability to produce results. By undermining its classifieds, its rival was trying to send out a message that reader/advertiser loyalty had shifted to it.

Following its criminal complaint, DC says, the court directed the police to investigate the matter under Indian Penal Code Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 379 (theft) and 467 (forgery). An FIR was registered thereafter.

For more information on the unusual media turf war being waged in Hyderabad, read here.

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