A group representing freelance writers, which is seeking to establish the legitimacy of a central clearinghouse through which writers can be paid for the resale of old articles, is close to signing an agreement that would give new stature and visibility to the clearinghouse.

Jonathan Tasini, president of the National Writers Union, and Steven D. Brill, chief executive of Contentville, a new online content distributor, both said yesterday that they had reached an agreement. It is now subject to approval of the union’s executive board. A federal appellate court decision last September in a case brought by Mr. Tasini and the National Writers Union struck down the contention by several publishers, including The New York Times, Newsday and Time, that electronic databases and archives were analogous to collected works.