Content Licensing

Reddit

2026-10-01 20:36:33

Reddit to shut down RSS feeds in November 2026 and cut public API access later

Reddit said it will shut down its RSS feeds starting Nov. 13, 2026, and plans to cut off public API data pipelines for external applications by March 2027. The company said the move is intended to curb data scraping by AI companies. At the same time, Reddit noted that it has already licensed its content to some AI firms. The change points to a tighter approach to how outside parties access Reddit data, covering both RSS distribution and public API channels. The company framed the decision around limiting unauthorized AI data collection, while continuing selected licensing arrangements for its own content.

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Vermillio

2026-10-01 17:53:05

Vermillio rolls out tracking and licensing tech for AI-generated content

Vermillio is developing technology aimed at addressing how creators’ works and likenesses are used and paid for in the AI era, as artificial intelligence reshapes the entertainment business. The company said its system is designed to track and license AI-generated content, focusing on control over usage and payment issues tied to creative output and personal likeness. Dan Neely, Vermillio’s co-founder and chief executive officer, discussed the latest progress during an appearance on Bloomberg Tech. The update points to a technology-based approach to a growing challenge for creators as AI tools are used more widely across entertainment and media.

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Google

2026-09-30 10:22:36

Google pays about 100 digital publishers for content used in AI answers

Google is paying about 100 digital publishers for content used in its AI products, according to The Information. The report said the material is being used for AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini. Payment sizes vary widely, ranging from less than $1,000 over several months to more than $1 million a year. Some participants said they do not clearly understand how Google calculates the payments, while some larger publishers have pushed for higher rates. The arrangement points to a broad spread in deal size and negotiating leverage among publishers involved in supplying material for Google’s AI-generated answers.

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Ziff Davis

2026-09-14 11:35:03

Ziff Davis CEO questions OpenAI stance on publisher payments as compute spending targets $750 billion

Vivek Shah, CEO of digital media and internet company Ziff Davis, said OpenAI should be able to pay licensing fees to news publishers if it can spend about $750 billion on computing infrastructure by 2030. His comments addressed the U.S. Department of Justice’s position in a copyright case in the Southern District of New York, where the government argued that licensing deals between AI companies and publishers could increase industry burdens and restrict AI development. Shah pushed back on that view, saying many publishers have already reached licensing agreements with OpenAI and other leading AI companies, while platforms such as Cloudflare and Tollbit are lowering the operational costs tied to licensing and royalty payments. He also argued that content licensing would represent only a small expense relative to projected compute spending. Using the U.S. music business as a comparison, Shah said annual royalty and licensing payments there total less than $20 billion. A similar figure for the news publishing industry, he said, would have limited impact on overall LLM company spending while creating an important revenue stream for content producers. Shah added that without a workable licensing framework, publishers may respond with paywalls and technical restrictions that block AI scraping, raising the cost for consumers to access free information and narrowing income channels for creators.

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Apple

2026-08-12 22:48:22

Apple in Talks With Publishers on Content Licensing to Improve Siri: WSJ

Apple is in active negotiations with publishers over new content licensing agreements, according to people familiar with the matter, with the goal of using third-party material to improve Siri, its artificial intelligence voice assistant. The talks have been ongoing for several months, the people said. The proposed deals are meant to span multiple years and would grant Apple the right to use publishers' content for delivering the latest news and information within Siri. A feature tied to that licensed content is expected to launch later this year, they said. Apple has offered a floating payment structure, meaning publishers would be paid based on how their content is used, according to some of the people. Those people also indicated that Apple has discussed a budget that could be as large as several hundred million dollars. The Wall Street Journal initially reported the matter, and BlockBeats relayed it on Aug. 13. The talks remain in progress, and no final agreement has been reached.

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Apple

2026-08-12 22:34:42

Apple Seeks New Publisher Deals to Develop Siri AI Assistant

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is seeking new agreements with publishers to license their content for developing its AI-powered voice assistant, Siri. No further details have been disclosed.

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Disney

2026-08-06 04:21:54

Disney opens Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars clips to TikTok creators in new licensing deal

Disney and TikTok have struck a content licensing agreement that will let participating creators use characters and scenes from Disney-owned film and TV properties in short-form videos. The program covers brands including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and FX, with a U.S. pilot set to begin in the coming months before expanding to other markets. Selected videos will also be distributed on Disney+, marking the first time TikTok short-form content is carried onto another platform. Disney+ has added a vertical video section called Verts, launched in the U.S. on Aug. 5 and curated jointly by Disney and TikTok. The companies are also introducing a Disney Creators Ambassador Program that gives selected creators more exposure, invitations to exclusive events and career-development resources. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal arrives against the backdrop of Disney’s recent IP enforcement moves against AI companies and TikTok’s U.S. ownership restructuring earlier this year.

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Wikipedia

2026-07-23 18:40:15

Wikipedia Turns 25, Starts Charging AI Giants for Content Access: Microsoft, Google, Amazon Join Licensing Spree

Wikipedia's 25th anniversary marks a shift: it now licenses content to Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and other AI firms via Wikimedia Enterprise, converting free data scraping into paid revenue while insisting on human editor primacy.

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