Is Live Blogging At Events Illegal?

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Live blogging (posting what is happening at events to your website live as they happen) has become very common. Many bloggers in tech world enjoy large amounts of traffic when they blog from a large event, like a Mac announcement or tech convention. Readers from all over the world can refresh their page and get up to the minute reports on what is going on.

Now, some rather large entities are saying that live-blogging is a no-no and Read Write Web reported that the NCAA recently ejected a credentialed reporter from a game for live blogging the event to his paper's web site.

The blogger-reporter was then stripped of his press credentials and banned from the press box completely for some sort of "copyright infringement."

The reporter's lawyer argued that what his client was reporting was a fact and the NCAA does not own a copyright on facts, stating: "Once a player hits a home run, that's a fact. It's on TV. Everybody sees it. [The NCAA] can't copyright that fact. The blog wasn't a simulcast or a recreation of the game. It was an analysis."

Is the end of live blogging near? Will other large organizations also begin to ban live bloggers from events completely and will that help or hurt the events popularity?

The NCAA isn't the only large sports organization looking at it as a problem. It has also been said that the International Cricket Council is in talks about banning websites that provide live blogs of their cricket matches without paying for coverage rights.

Like music downloading in the last decade, this issue is walking on a tightrope and it will be interesting to see where this goes. Will these events employ "official" live bloggers that give up-to-date info on everything going on?

I would hate to see the loss of live blogging at events that I cannot go to. What do you think?