Automated Content Access Protocol

Automated Content Access Protocol ("ACAP") was proposed in 2006 as a method of providing machine-readable permissions information for content, in the hope that it would have allowed automated processes (such as search-engine web crawling) to be compliant with publishers' policies without the need for human interpretation of legal terms. ACAP was developed by organisations that claimed to represent sections of the publishing industry (World Association of Newspapers, European Publishers Council, International Publishers Association).[1] It was intended to provide support for more sophisticated online publishing business models, but was criticised for being biased towards the fears of publishers who see search and aggregation as a threat[2] rather than as a source of traffic and new readers.

  1. ^ ACAP FAQ: Where is the driving force behind ACAP?
  2. ^ Douglas, Ian (3 December 2007). "Acap: a shot in the foot for publishing". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2012.