Reuters Uses Search Against Copyright Abuse

By Sean Michael Kerner

At a time of heightened awareness of corporate intellectual property, news
service Reuters announced said it will use Fast Search & Transfer’s (FAST)
software to track copyright violations of its content. Terms of the deal
were not disclosed.

Specifically, Oslo, Norway-based FAST will deploy its Search Derivative
Application (SDA) for Reuters. The application will identify and log the use
of Reuters content used online and in print media. In addition it will
generate custom reports, flagging any potential violations.

“It is important to know as much as we can about how Reuters’ copyrighted
news content is being used by our subscribers, as well as the general
public,” Paul Hansford, global head of content quality at Reuters said in a
statement. “We are looking forward to seeing how the implementation of FAST
ESP will help us track copyright infringements and protect our corporate
identity.”

Reuters was already a FAST customer, using FAST ESP (Enterprise Search
Platform) to power the Reuters News Distribution Service (NDS), a customized
real-time news alert service. FAST spokesman Peter Gorman told
internetnews.com that initial rollout will begin next month, with full implementation by summer.

The issue of copyright infringement on the Internet has long been an issue
for content providers. News aggregation sites, RSS P2P networks and blogs
seem to churn an almost endless supply of content and not all of it is
copyright free.

The issue has gained prominence thanks to several high profile suits,
including the Recording Industry Association of America’s effort to stamp
out music file sharing by P2P network users. On Tuesday, the RIAA filed another
500 lawsuits in an effort to protect copyrighted songs.