AP is strategically flawed says Paul Bradshaw

For a great synopsis of the arguments over AP's announcement that it will be declaring war on what is sees as illegal content,take a look at Paul Bradshaw's blog

The tanks are massing at the borders. The officers are drawing up “rules of engagement”. Soldiers are “rattling their sabres”. When times are hard, empires go to war. And so in the coming months we can expect to see “the web’s news cop” The Associated Press ignore the lessons of history and declare war against their perceived enemies.

he writes whilst pointing out that it is so strategically flawed.

AP are relatively unusual in that they are a news organisation which does actually make money from content.
The AP’s member organisations, however, make money primarily from advertising. To sell advertising you need an audience, and to get an audience you need a distribution strategy.
Pursuing your distributors for alleged copyright infringement is not a distribution strategy.
It also contributes nothing new to any business model for news online.