For centuries, intellectual property protection has been the engine of innovation.

FORBES: Fred Hassan

When the search engine Ask.com launched a privacy protection program it calls AskEraser last December, it intended to hold out an olive branch to activists that oppose how search engines track people's private information.

FORBES: Ask.com's Search Policy Splits Privacy Groups

Framing the business as a search engine was a key distinction because search engines have legal protection from paying licensing fees if they merely point users to a location where information can be found.

WSJ: Judge rules for AP in copyright dispute