New Licensing Standard Aims to Compensate Publishers for AI Content Use

On September 11, 2025, major online platforms including Reddit, Yahoo, Medium, Quora, and People Inc. announced their support for the Really Simple Licensing (RSL) standard. This new licensing framework allows web publishers to establish clear rules regarding how artificial intelligence (AI) companies can utilize their content. RSL builds upon the existing robots.txt protocol, which traditionally allowed publishers to specify which parts of their sites could be accessed by web crawlers. Unlike its predecessor, RSL enables publishers to embed specific licensing and royalty terms directly into their robots.txt files, thereby enhancing their ability to monetize their content.

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RSL allows publishers to define various licensing models, including subscription fees, pay-per-crawl, and pay-per-inference fees, which would compensate them each time an AI model references their work. The initiative is spearheaded by the RSL Collective, a nonprofit organization modeled after music rights organizations like ASCAP. The collective aims to negotiate on behalf of its members, ensuring that they receive fair compensation for their content. Notable supporters of RSL include O'Reilly Media, Ziff Davis, and wikiHow, among others.

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Despite its potential, RSL faces significant challenges, particularly regarding enforcement. Critics point out that AI developers have historically ignored robots.txt instructions, raising concerns about whether they will comply with the new licensing terms. To address this, the RSL Collective is collaborating with Fastly, a content delivery network, to act as a gatekeeper. Fastly will verify whether AI crawlers have agreed to the licensing terms before granting them access to publisher content. However, this enforcement mechanism will only be effective for publishers using Fastly's services.

Brands back new licensing standard to charge AI for training data

Eckart Walther, co-founder of RSL, emphasized that the standard aims to simplify the licensing process for publishers, allowing them to collectively negotiate with AI companies. "Our job is to go out and get a big group of people to say it’s in your interest," he stated. Tim O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly Media, noted that RSL represents an evolution in how content creators can protect their rights in an AI-driven landscape. "RSL changes that fundamentally, putting crawlers on notice of what the terms are before they access a site," he remarked.

AI’s free web scraping days may be over, thanks to this new licensing protocol

Despite the optimism surrounding RSL, some industry experts remain skeptical about its effectiveness. The reliance on AI companies to voluntarily respect licensing terms raises questions about the standard's long-term viability. Additionally, while RSL aims to provide a unified approach to content licensing, its success hinges on widespread adoption by major AI firms. Without their cooperation, the enforcement of licensing terms may prove challenging.

Brands back new licensing standard to charge AI for training data

The introduction of the RSL standard marks a significant step toward establishing a more equitable framework for content licensing in the age of AI. By enabling publishers to set clear terms for content use, RSL seeks to empower creators and ensure they are compensated for their contributions. However, the effectiveness of this initiative will ultimately depend on the willingness of AI companies to engage with and adhere to the new licensing protocols. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, RSL may play a crucial role in shaping the future of content monetization.

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