IPL revises media restrictions

The Indian Premier League released on Tuesday its revised guidelines for media coverage of the inaugural tournament, formally withdrawing some of the original contentious clauses but maintaining its hardline stand on websites - they will not have access to photographs and their representatives will not be allowed into the venue during matches.

The new guidelines were made public late in the evening, so there were no immediate reactions from the media industry, which had strongly condemned the earlier version.

That prompted a meeting on Monday between IPL officials and senior journalists, at which some of the revisions were discusses. The revisions include the following:

a.. A newspaper or a news agency can carry stand-alone still pictures of the Twenty20 matches in the print media and their websites without changing or morphing, and for editorial reporting purposes only
b.. The IPRs of any publication shall not be restricted in terms of the clause which says that the accredited party should not use material which could challenge and damage the IPR of IPL
c.. The images should not be used in direct association with any marks, names or logos of any third party and no part or whole of the image should be superimposed on
d.. No online use or publication or syndication of any such still photographic image is allowed except for the website of the publication
e.. In place of the original condition that the IPL was entitled to use and reproduce any and all photographs of the accredited party, which should be uploaded on the IPL website by the latter within 24 hours, the IPL now says it may request publications to provide for use and reproduction, free of charge, photographs from the publications

However, the revised guidelines reiterate the IPL's stand vis-à-vis websites - not including those that are online versions of print publications - on tournament coverage. Website reporters, though granted accreditation, will be given access to the venue the day before the match and for post match press conferences only - not during matches.

They also bar photographers from news agencies or other organisations from supplying photographs to these websites. No alternative provision has been specified for websites to source their pictures from, though on Monday the IPL said it was setting up a databank that could be accessed by these sites.

The IPL also extended the deadline for media accreditations by two days till Thursday.