Mature brands aren't going to surrender to the digital revolution without a fight, but the latest battle between traditional media and bloggers could have far reaching implications for the future of how information is disseminated -- and monetized -- on the web.

The trouble began last week when The Associated Press, a wire service begun in 1846, set its lawyers loose on Drudge Retort, a satirical website with a decidedly shorter track record of reporting. At issue was the use of an AP wire story that the Drudge Retort, which often mocks the infamous Drudge Report, used without permission.

The AP quickly backed off its demand that the Drudge Retort take down the story, but not before incensed bloggers, led by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, slammed the wire service for what they characterized as thuggish online behavior. The AP then said it would lay out a set of rules under which bloggers could use its content. But many bloggers complained that those rules were more restrictive than the Fair Use doctrine, which allows publishers to appropriate portions of another party's copyrighted material within certain parameters.

Arrington, who blends original reporting with information gleamed from a wide range of sources, went as far as to ban the AP from his site.

"The AP doesn't get to make its own rules around how its content is used, if those rules are stricter than the law allows," Arrington wrote. "And like the RIAA and MPAA, this is done to protect a dying business model -- paid content."

But while Arrington's criticism underscores a change in the media consumption model, the larger episode highlights the AP's inability to give its brand relevance in the digital age.

For now, the AP seems to be keen on working with bloggers through its lawyers, but The Los Angeles Times, itself a member of the AP, pointed out that the next evolution of the news brand (if it is to survive the digital revolution) will have to be built around a model that cooperates with bloggers.

"A better strategy for the AP would be to promote its work to bloggers, who can help elevate it above the online news din," The Los Angeles Times' editorial page read. "After all, the problem for most news sources isn't that too many people misappropriate their work online, it's that too few see it at all."

As for the current spat, bloggers are expected to meet with the AP today to see if some sort of deal can be reached.