Every week we receive dozens of press releases alerting us of new poker products and services. Companies write and distribute these alerts to the press in hopes that the various media outlets will print articles about their new product or service. With that goal in mind, you would think that sending a press release that basically says F-U to the press corp would be counter-productive.

This is exactly what the World Poker Tour did last week.

On Friday, we received a press release from the PR agency that represents the WPT. It basically said that they have sold the exclusive rights to cover all WPT events (and we would no longer be issued press passes). This was certainly not the kind of press release that made me feel warm and giddy enough to share the news with my readers. The only reason that I am writing about it now is because I find the irony (and stupidity) very amusing.

The press release stated that the WPT has sold the “exclusive tournament reporting rights” to Card Player Magazine. How hilarious is that? First of all, you can’t sell exclusive reporting rights in this country. We have what is called the First Amendment, which allows for freedom of the press. Members of the press, or anyone for that matter, can report on whatever the hell they want to, whenever the hell they want to.

The press release goes on to say, “The exclusive coverage will include the only full, up-to-the-minute chip counts available and in-depth hand-by-hand coverage of all regular Season VI WPT tournaments.” Now, what makes these braniacs think that their “exclusive chip counts” can’t be re-reported elsewhere? I guess nobody told them that U.S. copyright laws do not include compiled public data - that’s why it is legal to copy the white pages of the phone book word for word. Another example that comes to mind is when hundreds of sports writers from around the world watch a baseball game on ESPN and write their articles based on ESPN’s broadcast.

Surely, Mr. Lipscomb and company had to know that there is no such thing as “exclusive reporting rights”, so I guess this makes him a genius. Steve was able to find a sucker that fell for the notion that they would be the only outfit in the world that would be able to report on WPT tournaments. I have always had a great deal of respect for the Shulmans (owners Card Player) and still do, but I believe that the Shulmans got bamboozled on this one.

I think that it will be ultra amusing when Card Player’s reporting is re-reported with lightening speed during the next WPT event.