The Associated Press is launching a new digital rights ‘clearing house’to help news organisations protect their content online and make money from it.
The project was announced yesterday by the chief executive of the US-based news agency, Tom Curley.
He said: ‘We’ve stood by while others invent creative, new uses for our news and reap most of the benefit.
“The digital marketplace is on the cusp of an even bigger phase of growth on new platforms and devices… We have arrived at a moment of significant opportunity.”
Under the rights clearinghouse plan, AP together with other news organisations, plans to establish an independent agency which would provide rights clearance and privacy tools, a variety of ways to licence content from publishers, and media intelligence services.
It will make use of technology called AP News Registry, which AP claims allows news providers to ‘tag, track and measure use of their content online”.
Its aim is to detect unauthorised use of content, and track how content is consumed. The new body could be in place by the end of this year,
According to AP, which is run as a co-operative, more than 70 of its member newspapers and broadcasters have gone live with private smart-phone apps developed by AP, in conjunction with Verve Wireless. It is also working on iPad apps. Both use the AP Mobile platform.
It claims to be the only news organisation providing white label apps that leverage a common content management system for all brands of devices.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
