May 21, 2026
Association of American Publishers Announces Partnership with Vermillio to Protect Publishing Industry from AI Infringement and Piracy
Washington, DC and Chicago, IL – The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today announced a partnership with the technology company Vermillio to document and facilitate the removal of infringing copies of literary works from online sites, including a rapidly rising flood of unauthorized generative AI copies that substantially reproduce, mimic, and perform protected audiobooks. With Vermillio’s TraceID™ as a new high standard for protecting publishing IP in the era of generative AI, the milestone marks a pivotal moment for publishers aligning across the industry to safeguard authors’ works.
As part of its services, Vermillio will deploy TraceID to address infringing copies accurately and swiftly, with the goal of reducing the scale, duration, and cost of the damage suffered by publishers and authors in as close to real time as possible. This includes copyright abuses on both generative AI platforms and distribution platforms, such as YouTube. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for infringers to upload infringing files to popular hosting sites immediately after a lawful publication hits the market, if not contemporaneously, and for these sites to benefit directly or indirectly from the traffic.
“As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation, we are proud to note that the American publishing industry has been there every step of the way,” said Maria A. Pallante, AAP President and CEO. “But today we have a system of infringement on the internet that is shocking and getting worse, calling for fresh thinking, sophisticated tools, and strong alliances. We are pleased to work with Vermillio in the effort to forge next-generation solutions for publishers, authors, and platforms.”
AAP has a long record of organizing legal actions against entities that engage in industrial scale copyright infringement, including most recently a March 2026 lawsuit against the notorious pirate site Anna’s Archive that seeks to profit from its stockpile by selling it to AI developers. Vermillio offers essential, supplemental strategies that will help to proactively remove copyright abuses, while also asserting control over how copyrighted content is used in AI systems.
“As part of their comprehensive playbook, publishers are moving strategically from defense to offense in the AI era,” said Dan Neely, Co-Founder & CEO of Vermillio. “We need independent solutions, not ones owned by the very platforms seeking to monetize work that isn’t theirs. The publishing industry’s adoption of TraceID sends a clear signal that consent, control, and compensation must be foundational to the future of AI.”
As part of its mission to empower humanity in the era of AI, Vermillio continues to partner with leading talent, studios, record labels, and more – including Sony Music and high-profile individuals like Steve Harvey – to protect them from IP theft and give them the opportunity to monetize their image and likeness by securely licensing their data. Vermillio previously announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with talent agency WME to protect its clients’ IP and likeness. On the heels of being named to the annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, Vermillio officially extended TraceID to individuals worldwide for free.
About The Association of American Publishers (AAP)
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize the publication of creative and intellectual expression in support of a vibrant, imaginative, and informed democracy. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. AAP members include large, small, independent, educational, and scholarly houses who collectively publish the world’s preeminent authors, including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Newbery Medal, Man Booker Prize, Caldecott Medal and Nobel Prize. Learn more at publishers.org.
About Vermillio
Vermillio is an AI licensing and protection platform with a mission to empower humanity to thrive in the era of Generative AI. Providing cutting-edge protection and control, Vermillio’s TraceIDTM – recently made available for free – enables talent and IP holders to take advantage of the benefits of Generative AI in a safe and secure environment while understanding where their valuable data is being used. Named to the 2025 TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, Vermillio is building the guardrails for a Generative AI internet to empower talent, studios, record labels, and more to protect and monetize their content. Co-founded by Dan Neely, who also made TIME’s list of 100 most influential individuals in AI, Vermillio’s team is led by experienced technologists who bring significant collective experience building AI software and scaled transaction systems. Learn more at vermill.io.
Media Contacts:
John McKay | jmckay@publishers.org
Sarah Rothman | Vermillio@ledecompany.com