Google and Associated Press confirms that they signed on a deal for online collaboration

Search engine giant Google and news agency Associated Press has confirmed that they signed on a deal a couple of months back. The deal sees AP licensing Google to use AP news stories on a variety of Google services and products.

In fact, the deal goes beyond the existing ties between the Google and the news providers on their Google News service. Though, the two companies have not disclosed the financial details of their collaboration.

Google spokeswoman Sonya Boralv said on this new development: “It’s a licensing agreement that lets us use original AP content in new ways than we have used in the past for Google News.”

Many news agencies have complained in the past that syndication services like Google and Yahoo! harm their business by taking away content from their partner sites and placing advertisements. This deal with AP for Google should start a new trend for these companies.

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