The Apostrophe Protection Society is a UK society that has "the specific aim of preserving the correct use of this currently much abused punctuation mark". It was founded in 2001 by John Richards, a retired sub-editor, in response to his observations of widespread incorrect use of the apostrophe. It has been suggested (in the now defunct message board of the APS) that the "society" is in fact a one-man organisation designed to give a spurious air of authority to John's own views.