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[Blwe_torch]

Controversy, thy name is Indian Premier League!--
By Raj Narayan
 
Ever since the Indian Premier League idea was floated, it has been mired in controversy of one sort or another. If it all started with the rival ICL castigating BCCI for borrowing its idea of a T-20 league, then there followed the bidding process for players. A process that raised the hackles of cricket aficionados because players got paid for their charisma and not for talent as a result of which Ricky Ponting got less than Andrew Symonds and Robin Uthappa made more than Michael Hussey!
 
With Bollywood showmen joining Corporate show-offs to create a multi-star blockbuster, the show just got sleazier by the day as cricketers, young, happening and old, came together to compete in a month-long extravaganza that will definitely make them richer by a few crores though it remains to be seen if it does anything for cricket.
 
With money as the sole motivating force behind the circus (not surprising given that the BCCI had given the charge to its in-house financial whizz kid Lalit Modi), the IPL went about ensuring that all loopholes through which the cash could flow out were plugged and simultaneously created several avenues for making "A Few Dollars More".
 
So what if the media were asked to pay for covering the matches? What's wrong with IPL deciding to own the pictures taken by some news agency or newspaper photographer? What if the person deputed by a media organization and given accreditation by Modi fell sick? All of this didn't matter to the organisers who just wanted to pitch for as much as they could earn and spread their arms wider if possible.
 
Never before have we seen such crass commercialisation of any sport in India where players are bought, the media is restricted and intellectual property rights are flogged publicly. When the Editors' Guild raised a brouhaha, the IPL head honchos went into a huddle and returned with "simplified norms" which read pretty much the same vis-a-vis the contentious issues like image distribution and coverage by portals.
 
Small mercies that Mr. Modi and his gang didn't ask us to pay 1000 rupees per person for watching these matches on television at our homes! Or maybe, he would next year if the event does rake in the moolah that the organisers have promised to the franchisees, each of who has spent crores to buy the team and paid money to BCCI for doing so.
 
With the wire agencies led by Press Trust of India, contemplating a boycott of the event, Modi and his brand of smart alecs would have their task cut out as the franchisees have been promised adequate publicity by the BCCI. PTI was joined by AFP, Reuters and other wire agencies under the aegis of News Media Coalition. They refused to send across accreditation forms, the last date for which ended yesterday.
 
They have made it clear that unless the "restrictive clauses" that form part of the accreditation guidelines were changed, they would stay away from the event. The key cause for concern include IPR on photographs and syndication. Stipulation that these images should be carried in toto without creative changes have also raised hackles as has the clause that such pictures would be the property of the IPL and not of the organisation that clicked it.
 
Several newspapers like The Hindu have carried editorials hinting at a boycott while the Times of India has written articles suggesting that the modification exercise carried out by the IPL last Wednesday was a farce. A report in cricket website www.cricinfo.com quoting Bangalore Royal Challengers Chief Executive Charu Sharma states that the franchisees will step in if the situation worsens.
 
"As far as we are concerned, this issue involves the IPL's IPR, and has to be sorted out by the IPL. However, if the situation escalates we will have to have a say in the matter and will want to discuss the issue with IPL," Cricinfo website quoted Charu Sharma as saying.
 
Now it remains to be seen how the BCCI resolves this issue. In all probability it would require the acumen of its President Sharad Pawar to smoothen frayed tempers and ensure that the IPL goes ahead without a media blackout. If that doesn't happen, the IPL may just sink even before it sets sail. With rival ICL watching keenly, it is in the interest of the BCCI that they resolve this issue in favour of the media, which has so far played a major role in hyping up an extravanganza that is less of cricket and more of showmanship.
 
Source: Raj Narayan, India Syndicate
 
http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1336160

[Blwe_torch]

IPL faces total media blackout
11 Apr 2008, 2356 hrs IST,TNN


NEW DELHI, April 11: With just a week to go before the Indian Premier League kicks off, the event faces the possibility of a media blackout. On Friday, Press Trust of India announced its decision to boycott IPL unless the restrictive clauses on media that form part of the accreditation guidelines were changed. International news agencies too have decided not to cover the tournament under these conditions and with newspaper organizations continuing to oppose several proposals in the guidelines, the possibility of a boycott has become more real.

IPL had on Wednesday made some modifications in the guidelines it initially formulated, but the changes have done little to allay the concerns of the media. One of the major areas of concern is the fact that IPL effectively denies the media’s intellectual property rights (IPR) on photographs they shoot of the event. Syndication of such photos is not allowed and even use of photographs for a newspaper’s website is restricted to no more than six per match.

Stipulations that images must be carried without any changes from the original have also been viewed by several media groups and organizations as placing undue restrictions on media freedom.
 
http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/articleshow/2945746.cms