The Associated Press announced on Monday that its lawsuit with AHN media had been settled, AFP reported Tuesday. AHN had been accused of copyright infringement for misappropriating AP articles.

"AP is pleased to have successfully resolved the litigation through a principled settlement," Laura Malone, AP associate general counsel for intellectual property governance, said in a statement.

"AP invests hundreds of millions of dollars to gather and to distribute essential breaking news worldwide that customers legitimately access and use by payment of a license fee," Malone stated. "Unauthorized use of these proprietary news reports by copying or rewriting published AP news stories is inimical to the interests of AP and its legitimate licensees."

The news source, cooperatively owned by 1,500 U.S. daily newspapers, filed the suit against AHN in January 2008 pursuing damages and a permanent injunction against AHN breaching use rights of AP content.

The filing included allegations that AHN had told its staff to rewrite stories without crediting the AP.

The settlement reportedly includes a payout to the AP of an "unspecified sum" and an undertaking by AHN that they "would not make competitive use of content or expression from AP stories."

"This settlement safeguards AP's investments in journalism, and serves as notice to others that AP will fully defend its intellectual property rights against unfair competition," Malone said.

The settlement is the first move made by the AP after it announced in April it would begin taking legal action against those using its or its member's content without permission.

The AP planned to collaborate with Internet services that license and define the legal use of Online content, "and would pursue legal and legislative actions against those who don't."