realtors rethink online listing rule - online drawing board

It goes back to the drawing of the National Assn.
On Thursday, Realtors decided not to implement a restrictive online property listing rule that has been reviewed by federal antitrust regulators since it was introduced 15 months ago.
This change, which will take effect on July, will allow trade group 1.
2 million members control whether their list can be displayed on the website of other agents.
Now, other agents can display the list on their website from the Regional Multiple list services and urge users of the website to contact them instead of the list agent.
After talks with Justice Department lawyers in Washington last week, the trade group decided to consider a new online listing policy to eliminate regulatory and competition issues.
The department's investigation is part of the government's push for competition in real estate sales, as the number of homes for sale on the internet surged, and the network
Discount-based brokerage firms are competing with traditional brokerage firms.
The question boils down to whether a list agent can effectively claim ownership of a family list and decide when and where it can be displayed on the Internet.