[A2k] Publishers and search engines unveil new open standard: ACAP now a reality after 12 month pilot

[Barbara Stratton]

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FYI. I see that apart from publishers, newspaper publishers and RROs, the B=
ritish Library and the World Blind Union are involved.
Barbara Stratton
Senior Policy Adviser, CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Inf=
ormation Professionals, UK
Secretary to LACA: the Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance, UK  www.c=
ilip.org.uk/laca
Resource Member, IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and=
 Institutions) Copyright and Other Legal Matters Committee http://www.ifla.=
org/III/clm/copyr.htm


NEWS RELEASE

PUBLISHERS AND SEARCH ENGINES UNVEIL NEW OPEN STANDARD:

ACAP NOW A REALITY AFTER 12 MONTH PILOT

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

29 NOVEMBER 2007, NEW YORK

The Associated Press
450 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001

The new, non-proprietary, open standard, ACAP (Automated Content Access Pro=
tocol), developed to protect the intellectual property of anyone wishing to=
 make content available on the worldwide web, will be unveiled and showcase=
d for the first time this November 29 In New York after an intense and high=
ly collaborative 12-month pilot project between publishers and search engin=
es.

Components of the ACAP standard are currently being implemented and tested =
on a pilot basis by several publishers and by the world's fourth largest se=
arch engine, Exalead (www.exalead.com). The results of these tests will be =
publicly presented for the first time at the November conference.

>From December 2007, publishers will be encouraged to implement ACAP  which =
will allow publishers, broadcasters and indeed any other publisher of conte=
nt on the network to express their individual access and use policies in a =
language that search engine robots and similar automated tools can read and=
 understand. The ACAP draft technical framework papers for pilot testing ar=
e now available at www.the-acap.org.

Gavin O'Reilly, President of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), sai=
d: "This conference will demonstrate beyond all doubt, the need for ACAP an=
d the potential disaster for the global publishing industry should it fail =
to embrace new technology to protect its future."

ACAP Project Manager Mark Bide of Rightscom Ltd said: "This project has rec=
eived unprecedented industry support and commitment.  Key players in the pu=
blishing and online industry have been quick to appreciate the need for ACA=
P and have responded  by lending their corporate support and technical expe=
rtise.  Our challenge now will be to communicate to the widest possible aud=
ience how ACAP can be implemented."

Speakers at the conference will include Tom Curley, CEO of Associated Press=
;  Alain Heurtebise, CEO, Exalead Inc and WAN President Gavin O'Reilly.  De=
legates will leave the conference fully briefed on how to implement this ne=
w and potentially universal standard.

Delegates can register by contacting Tessa Thier at tessa.thier@rightscom.c=
om
For more information or to register, journalists can contact Heidi Lambert =
at heidilambert@hlcltd.demon.co.uk or on
Tel: +44 (1)245 476 265 or Angela Mills Wade on Tel: +44 (0)1865 310 732

For more information on ACAP, go to www.the-acap.org

Conference programme and list of ACAP participants and members follow:

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

8:45            Registration, coffee

9:30            Welcome and introduction from the chair
                   Gavin O'Reilly, President, WAN

9:45            Keynote presentation: Tom Curley, CEO, AP

10:05           The Book publisher's perspective: Jens Bammel, Secretary Ge=
neral, IPA

10:25           The future of search: Alain Heurtebise, CEO, Exalead Inc

10:45           TEA/COFFEE BREAK

11:15           ACAP - the technical reality: Francis Cave, ACAP Technical =
Project Manager

12:45           LUNCH BREAK


14:00           The regulatory context, Europe and the US: Angela Mills Wad=
e, Executive Director, European =09=09   Publishers Council

14:20           A world without ACAP: Dominic Young, Director of Editorial =
Services, News International

14:40           Where we go from here: Mark Bide, ACAP Project Manager, Rig=
htscom Ltd

15:00           Conclusions from the Chair

15:15           Conference close

ACAP pilot participants:

*Agence France-Presse
* De Persgroep
* Impresa
* Independent News & Media Plc
* John Wiley & Sons
* Macmillan / Holtzbrinck
* Media 24
* Reed Elsevier
* Sanoma Corporation
* British Library
* Exalead

Current ACAP members include:

* Access Copyright
* Associated Press
* Association of American Publishers
* Associazione Italiana Editori
* Australian Publishers Association
* Authors Licensing & Collecting Society
* Copyright Agency Limited
* Copyright Clearance Center
* Copyright Licensing Agency
* Dapper
* Deutsche Presse-Agentur
* EDItEUR
* European Alliance of News Agencies
* Express Newspapers
* European Newspaper Publishers Association
* Fairfax Business Media
* Federation of European Publishers
* Forl=E6ggerforeningen
* Gazette Communications
* International Association of STM Publishers
* International DOI Foundation
* International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations
* International Press Telecommunications Council
* Mediargus
* Motion Picture Association
* Nederlands Uitgeversverbond
* News International
* News Limited Australia
* Newspaper Association of America
* Newspaper Licensing Agency
* Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
* Ovid Technologies
* PLUS Coalition
* Publishers Licensing Society
* Random House Group
* Recording Industry Association of America
* Reuters
* Scholastic
* Vlaamse Dagbladpers
* World Blind Union