The Linda Ikeji blog/Google saga: some lessons for publishers

1.  Why can’t young bloggers spend few minutes to edit and reshape the same story posted earlier on other blogs?   That would make them more creative rather what we always see every day in different news publication websites, duplicating the same story verbatim.    2. Why can’t upcoming bloggers and publishers routinely give credit to original […]

1.  Why can’t young bloggers spend few minutes to edit and reshape the same story posted earlier on other blogs?   That would make them more creative rather what we always see every day in different news publication websites, duplicating the same story verbatim.    
2. Why can’t upcoming bloggers and publishers routinely give credit to original owners of published articles or a news items online?
3. Why can’t publishers always put reference links in form of a referrer at the foot of a copied story which is not their original story? I think it’s time for critical issues like this be looked into in order to avoid such international embarrassments on Nigeria’s image in the future.
In addition, if Linda Ikeji had purchased her own hosting account and also registered her domain right from inception, such a sad incidence like this wouldn’t have happened, because, there wouldn’t have been a third party involvement in the matter. It would have been calmly settled between the entities whose copyrights were infringed and Linda.
Moral Lesson: Free stuffs don’t last! When it comes to web design or web development, don’t go for template options or free account services, they are always limited in functions.
Furthermore, it’s always funny to see internet users being impatient to read TOS and Privacy Policy of a site and always making them to put the cart before the horse when visiting a website for the first time. The first thing to do is to read the TOS i.e. Terms of Service or Terms and conditions of Use and also read the Privacy Policy.
These are the legally binding rule between the website user and the website owner. If such Terms stated in the Terms of use are violated, such website owner has the exclusive right to terminate the service of the website visitor, which is exactly what Google has done to Linda Ikeji’s account.  
Also, most TOS always explicitly state that: if you don’t agree with our TOS and Privacy Policy, don’t use our site.
I think that’s a replica of what happened between Linda and Google. Google is not at fault for the sensitive action, though it may seem harsh.  If Google didn’t bring down Linda’s blogspot account, maybe the 3rd party whose right was infringed would be planning legal action against Google, who knows?

Jawolusi Oluwaseun Solomon, National Assembly, Abuja <[email protected]>;