Associated Press added its name to the list of media companies aggressively seeking to protect their content. The AP board of directors Thursday tasked AP with creating a news registry that will tag and track all AP online content in order to ensure compliance with terms of use.

The system will register key identifying information about each piece of content AP distributes, along with the terms of use of that content, employing a built-in beacon to notify AP about how the content is used, AP said. It will initially cover text content, extending to AP member content early next year.

The registry will employ an AP-developed microformat for news, endorsed two weeks ago by London-based nonprofit research-and-development organization Media Standards Trust. AP said the microformat will essentially encapsulate AP and member content in an informational "wrapper" that includes a digital-permissions framework, which lets publishers specify how their content is to be used online and supplies the critical information needed to track and monitor its usage.

AP board of directors chairman and MediaNews Group vice chairman and CEO Dean Singleton:

What we are building here is a way for good journalism to survive and thrive. The AP news registry will allow our industry to protect its content online and will assure that we can continue to provide original, independent and authoritative journalism at a time when the world needs it more than ever.