INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The stories on the AP newswire are the result of the efforts of countless people: reporters, photographers, video journalists, editors, support staff, translators—the list goes on.

AP is committed to providing comprehensive, original, authoritative news from around the world. Our reporters are on hand whenever major stories are breaking—sometimes at great risk to themselves—and they’re also relied on to cover news at a local level; for instance, AP has a reporter in every statehouse in the U.S.

This level of journalism is expensive. The AP, which is a not-for-profit cooperative, invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year in newsgathering and distribution. Revenue from licensing this content, across formats (including digital), is our main source of funding.

When a user licenses content from AP, it obtains permission to use that content in a specific way. Thousands of organizations across the world license AP content for legitimate use in their businesses, understanding the value inherent in this content and the investment that went into its production.

When use is made of AP content without authorization, it undermines AP's ability to support its news operations. AP, like any other content creator, must protect its intellectual property rights against unauthorized exploitation. Protecting our journalists’ work from misuse and illegal use is of primary importance to the organization, and we are working to develop new ways to ensure our rights.