I think Terry Heaton has picked up on why the AP rushed in with DMCA takedowns for Rogers Cadenhead - they are in the process of being disintermediated, and - like the RIAA - all they can think to do is toss lawsuits around:

They've announced that they're willing to create a new policy, but that, too, is fraught with problems, for it can only shed further light on the weakness of their business model in a changing environment. Bloggers know that links go to the originator of the content, which would mean linking to the A.P.'s members, not the A.P. version thereof. When that happens, media companies will rightly ask why they need an expensive middle man in the equation. Always remember that the Web disrupts the middle of any transaction, including media. As such, the most enviable position in the new world is that of aggregator, but as Google News proves, there's not exactly a whole lot of money to be made in so doing.

I'll summarize this with something I said in an IM chat a week ago: no one is entitled to a business model. The AP has been around for a long time, so they have a fairly large sense of entitlement to theirs - but it just doesn't matter.

Update: Oh geez. Via Mathew Ingram I ran across this, which in turn points to the AP's ridiculous web form. Look ma: only $12.50 to quote between 5 and 25 words of an AP story. On their form, the bit I quoted above would set me back $50. These guys could give the RIAA a run for their money in the stupidity sweepstakes.

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