Mike Azzara, CMP's VP/Group Director of Internet Business, and I chatted via phone briefly today to set the record straight on the company's alleged blocking of inbound links from CNET, Google News and other Web sites.
Azzara, a former colleague who now oversees editorial and sales for the 10 year-old online technology news network, said CMP will soon begin lifting its ban on CNET's in-bound links. "We've made the decision, but just need to tell the staff," Azzara said.
The former editor of Open Systems Today claimed that CNET was deep linking to CMP PDF white papers and attempting to capture reader registration data in the process. As a result CMP sent the competitor a cease and desist letter and CNET has since lifted the user registration requirement.
Azzara said that his company continues to block links from two other competitors - TechTarget and Linux Today (part of the Jupitermedia network) - because they republish CMP content in a manner that oversteps the boundaries of "fair use."
He also confirmed earlier reports that CMP never intended to block links from Google News. He attributed last week's brief episode to a software hiccup that occurred as the company was moving some of its sites to a new publishing platform.
Finally, Azzara said that CMP's online business is on track to double its revenues from 2002 and that later this year it will unveil a brand new publishing platform that he calls "simple, yet ingenious."
