Google stops hosting AP articles

Google News is no longer hosting new articles from the Associated Press.

"At the moment we're not adding new hosted content from the AP," a Google spokesman confirmed.

AP and Google have reportedly been hashing out a new licensing contract. Google News displays stories from all kinds of news outlets; some have licensing agreements and others don't. AP's disappearance from Google News is part of a broader shift in the publishing industry, which is trying to figure out its relationships with search engines in light of struggles to make ends meet with online advertising revenue.

In December, Google announced a policy that lets news publishers limit the amount of subscription content Google can access for free.

This development goes counter to my previous post about a proposed UK law that would allow search engines to have unfettered access to all copyrighted material.