iCopyright, a US-based provider of intelligent copyright systems for digital content, has published a study according to which online publishers are losing significant revenue and, in many cases, the rights to their material, because of the way they implement 'Article Tools' on their web pages. Article Tools are common on almost every news and information website. They appear as links and/or icons that allow readers to print, email, save, share, post, and do other things with the articles.
The study found that users have become accustomed to using these tools to repurpose and redistribute articles, often for commercial purposes. Many users believe that Article Tools grant them licence to take and use the content without any restrictions. Usability testing of some of the most trafficked news and B2B content sites on the Internet found serious flaws in how their Article Tools are implemented.
The majority of users who participated in the study said they use Article Tools frequently to make copies, post on their website, and redistribute articles via email. Most said they would honour the publisher's copyrights and use the content within acceptable guidelines, if publishers clearly communicated the guidelines. Those who regularly use content for commercial purposes said they would pay for the rights if they were priced right and could be transacted and delivered instantly.
The study findings and recommendations are outlined in a white paper that can be downloaded at http://info.icopyright.com/article-tools-whitepaper.asp.
