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Ziff Davis Media is angling for a legal showdown over who owns the rights to its online content.
The brewing battle comes after Ziff Davis in August informed CNET Networks and ZDNet that it would cancel the online contracts "due to various breaches by ZDNet," according to a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission filing. The claimed breaches were unspecified.
RIGHTS RUN INTO 2003
CNET in October completed its si.6 billion purchase of ZDNet, which holds rights through August 2003 for online content tied to Ziff Davis magazines, such as Interactive Week and PC Magazine. The effective date for the move is listed variously in SEC documents as March 1 or March 31.
A ZDNet spokesman said "in our view, under the contract they are not entitled to terminate in March," and called Ziff Davis Media's claim "completely without merit."
A CNET spokeswoman quoted company lawyers saying Ziff Davis Media has "absolutely no legal recourse to do this."
The controversy follows a decision last year by Ziff-Davis Inc. and its then-lead shareholder, Softbank, to...