The Associated Press is moving ahead with plans for a system to detect unlicensed use of its content and potentially create new ways for the 163-year-old news cooperative and other media to make more money on the Internet.
As part of a strategy approved Thursday by the AP’s board, the cooperative will start by bundling its text stories in an “informational wrapper” that will include a built-in beacon to monitor where stories go on the Internet.
The beacon is meant to be a policing device aimed at deterring websites from posting AP content without paying licensing fees.
The AP and its member newspapers contend unlicensed use of their material is costing them tens of millions of dollars in potential ad revenue.
“This is a pivotal step in the fight to ensure that quality journalism can be funded in the digital era,” Tom Curley, AP’s chief executive, said in an interview. “We have stood by too long and watched other people make money off the hard work of our journalists. We have decided to draw a line in concrete.”
The AP calls the project a “news registry,” and it is set to debut in November, beginning first with text stories and later expanding to videos and photos. Starting next year, newspapers that own the cooperative will be able to put their material into the registry as well.
The AP hasn’t determined how it will make money from its registry, but believes there will be plenty of opportunities.
“If you can stop the unlicensed use, the value of the content goes up,” said Jane Seagrave, the AP’s senior vice president of global product development.
