07/26/04

AP plans to develop tools to enhance news industry's search capabilities and licensing protection

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press is taking the initiative on behalf of its member newspapers and broadcasters to explore development of enhanced online search capabilities and intellectual property protection for the news industry, the board of directors announced.

The board approved plans to develop tools and technical standards for news providers that will be used to make their content easier to search online. The board also agreed to take steps to protect news content from unlicensed uses online.

"The goal is to translate AP's unique understanding of news gathering and distribution into a marketable plan that organizes and licenses news content for more authoritative search," said AP Chairman Burl Osborne. "We feel news consumers deserve the most current and relevant information they can find online."

AP President and CEO Tom Curley said the AP expects to offer news search solutions for its members this year. He said other services being developed by AP would enable member news providers to capture more online traffic, track usage of their content and protect their assets from misappropriation by unlicensed users.

The move by the world’s largest news agency into the expanding search field came Thursday at the board’s July meeting held in Beaver Creek, CO.

AP, founded in 1848 and headquartered in New York, is a source of print news, photos, graphics, audio and video for more than a billion people a day. Curley took over a year ago with a pledge to remake AP's technology.

Contact: Jack Stokes at 212-621-1720