Microsoft announced that it is working on creating the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensingthat showcases terms of use set by publishers. This will allow AI companies to easily negotiate terms and enter into agreements for the use of online content to “power” their AI models, while content owners will receive usage reports to determine pricing.
Microsoft has co-designed PCM with companies including Vox Media, the Associated Press, Condé Nast, and People.
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The AI boom has been fueled in large part by content consumed without payment. As a result, many publishers have reacted and filed lawsuits against technology and AI companies. Publishers typically seek deals content licensing as traffic from traditional sources declines as AI tools use their content and present it more directly to the user. Some, such as The New York Times and The Intercept, have filed copyright lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI.
There’s also an open standard supported by publishers, Really Simple Licensing (RSL), which aims to keep digital media viable in the age of AI. It embeds licensing terms into a publisher’s website, specifying how bots must pay to collect data from their sites. However, Microsoft’s announcement didn’t clarify how, or if, this would interact with PCM.
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Microsoft – Publisher Content Marketplace: An AI licensing hub
According to Microsoft, with this arrangement, “publishers will be paid based on value delivered, and AI creators will gain scalable access to licensed premium content that enhances their products.”
The company adds that PCM will “support publishers of all sizes,” including large organizations and independent publishers.
“The open web was built on an implicit value exchange where publishers made content accessible, and distribution channels — like search — helped people find it,” Microsoft writes. “This model doesn’t translate neatly to an AI-driven world where answers are increasingly provided in a conversational format.”
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Microsoft has begun onboarding partners, including Yahoo, as it continues to test the market and seeks to expand further.
