Redwood City, Calif. - The Associated Press announced on Thursday that it will work with a Redwood City, Calif.-based start-up called Attributor to monitor how its stories, photos and videos are used online, and detect copyright violations.

The Attributor service will continually monitor "billions" of Web pages and perform comparison analysis against AP content, initially covering text but eventually expanding to include images and video.

"Our agreement with Attributor will enable AP to safeguard its investment in creating and distributing news reports, while assuring licensees that unauthorized use will not diminish the value of their licenses," said AP general counsel Srinandan Kasi.

"These services are part of the next-generation licensing and enforcement services we plan to provide to our global network of members and subscribers."

An AP reporter wrote that Kasi said the non-profit news organization "doesn't intend to take a litigious approach in its enforcement of its copyrights and instead will try to negotiate licensing agreements consistent with its mission of keeping the public informed."

Related Links:
http://www.attributor.com/morenews2.php

http://tinyurl.com/285po2 (AP)