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AI lab

Microsoft: what they buy and what they pay

Microsoft is profiled here as an AI lab[1]. Data types cited in this profile include: Publisher content[2].

Last verified November 3, 2026

Quick facts

TypeAI lab[1]
StatusActive[2]
Websitehttps://www.microsoft.com/[3]
HQOne Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-7329, USA[3]
Founded1975[3]
OwnershipNot published
ProgramPublisher Content Marketplace (PCM)[2]https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/blog/post/february-2026/building-toward-a-sustainable-content-economy-for-the-agentic-web[2]
Price$5,000 per nonfiction title, split evenly between author and HarperCollins (reported)[1]
Pricing basisPublishers to be paid on delivered value (PCM)[2]Per-title fee (HarperCollins, reported)[1]
Payment timingNot published
How to start"Click here" link in the PCM announcement for those interested in learning more[2]

What they buy

Data typesPublisher content[2]Books (nonfiction backlist) (reported)[1]
ExcludedFiction excluded (HarperCollins deal covers select previously published nonfiction only) (reported)[1]
Intended useGrounding AI responses (PCM)[2]Training an unnamed Microsoft AI model (HarperCollins) (reported)[1]

Price and payment

Price$5,000 per nonfiction title, split evenly between author and HarperCollins (reported)[1]
Pricing basisPublishers to be paid on delivered value (PCM)[2]Per-title fee (HarperCollins, reported)[1]
Payment timingNot published
Seller feesNot published
Platform's cutNot published
Referral bountyNot published

Deal terms

Deal structurePublisher-defined license terms; voluntary participation (PCM)[2]
ExclusivityNot published
TermThree years (HarperCollins) (reported)[1]
Field of useOutputs limited to no more than 200 consecutive words and/or 5% of a book's text; licensee pledges not to scrape piracy sites (HarperCollins) (reported)[4]
Onward transferNot published
Seller keeps ownershipYes: publishers retain ownership and editorial independence (PCM)[2]

Process

StepsNot published
TimelineNot published
Sample before offerNot published
How to start"Click here" link in the PCM announcement for those interested in learning more[2]

Who they sell to

Sells toMicrosoft Copilot (announced as the first buyer, Nov 2025)[5]Yahoo (demand partner; onboarding began Feb 2026)[2]

Track record

Named deals

  • HarperCollins: three-year deal to train an as-yet-unnamed Microsoft AI model on its catalog (reported)[1]
  • People Inc. joined the pay-per-use marketplace (Nov 2025)[5]
  • PCM co-design partners: AP, Business Insider, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc, USA TODAY Co., Vox Media[2]

Coverage

  • Digiday on People Inc.'s Microsoft marketplace deal[5]
  • Authors Guild on the HarperCollins license terms[4]

Watch for

  • The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement (2023)[6]

Sources

  1. HarperCollins Book Catalog To Train Microsoft AI Models For The Next 3 Years | eWeek, eweek.com. Published December 7, 2024. Accessed October 30 and November 3, 2026. (press)
  2. Building Toward a Sustainable Content Economy for the Agentic Web | Microsoft Advertising, about.ads.microsoft.com. Published February 3, 2026. Accessed October 30 and November 3, 2026. (company's own site)
  3. Facts About Microsoft, news.microsoft.com. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  4. HarperCollins AI licensing deal - The Authors Guild, authorsguild.org. Published November 19, 2024. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press)
  5. People Inc. strikes Microsoft AI licensing deal as Google’s AI Overviews hit programmatic ad revenue - Digiday, digiday.com. Published November 4, 2025. Accessed October 30 and November 3, 2026. (press)
  6. New York Times partners with Amazon for first AI licensing deal (Reuters via Hawaii Tribune-Herald), hawaiitribune-herald.com. Published May 30, 2025. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press)

Last verified November 3, 2026