Lawsuit May Decide High School Game Rights Online

"Fundamentally, this comes down to TV revenue for the associations," said Don Craven, an attorney who worked for the IPA and helped settle the dispute two years ago. "They don't own a commodity to sell, market or otherwise control. They should put on a very nice tournament and get out of the news business."

Professional sports leagues and media organizations, too, have had conflicts over various aspects of game coverage online.

In the Wisconsin case, the WIAA initially sought ownership rights for writing, photography, video and any Internet form of journalism from live blogging to webcasts when it filed suit in December. It was later moved to federal court and the WIAA now seeks only online rights.

The Associated Press has pledged financial support to the WNA and Gannett if the case goes to trial.