The Independent has added a new system to track unlicensed usage of its content online, Journalism.co.uk reported Wednesday.

iCopyright will help the newspaper guard its copyrighted content online, as well as create arrangements for licensing with other sites. The tracking system is also used by the Associated Press.

According to a press release from iCopyright, on Tuesday, the first day if its use, 4,000 “instant licenses and ad-supported permissions” for using content from the Independent's Web site were issued, according to Journalism.co.uk.

The Independent is the first UK publisher to use iCopyright. The deal was done through The Reprint & Licensing Centre, Journalism.co.uk reported.

“We know that our editorial content is highly valued by our readers worldwide, and we encourage them to share and reuse our content with attribution and in accordance with copyright law. iCopyright will make it much easier for our content to reach a far-flung audience without losing its identity and compromising our rights,” Bill Swanson, managing director of Independent.co.uk, stated in the press release.