Creators have legal rights over their original work. Turning those rights into meaningful action requires evidence, legal expertise, and resources.
The U.S. Copyright Office has studied these challenges in the context of small copyright claims. Many copyright owners face difficulties pursuing infringement cases, especially when the potential value of a claim does not justify the cost and complexity of federal litigation.
The creation of the Copyright Claims Board in the United States shows how the legal system is adapting to this challenge. The Board provides a simpler process for certain copyright disputes involving claims of up to $30,000, giving copyright owners an alternative to federal court.
The Cost of Taking Action
A copyright dispute can begin with something as simple as discovering an unauthorized use, but the steps that follow can be considerably more complicated. A creator may need to confirm ownership, preserve evidence showing how the work was used, establish who used it and under what circumstances, assess the strength of the claim, and determine the appropriate legal route. The process can become especially difficult when the creator is working independently and has no legal team to handle these tasks.
This creates a gap between copyright ownership and copyright enforcement.
Time and cost can influence the decision from the beginning, meaning that a creator may discover a potentially valuable infringement and still decide that pursuing it is too difficult or expensive. The U.S. Copyright Office identified this economic barrier in its study of the copyright small claims system, noting that the costs associated with federal litigation can discourage copyright owners from pursuing claims.
A right that is difficult to enforce can have limited practical value for the person who owns it.
What Happens After an Infringement Is Found?
The first challenge is establishing what happened and gathering reliable information about the unauthorized use that can support a potential claim. The creator may then need to assess the circumstances, estimate potential damages, and decide whether legal action is appropriate, with each stage requiring a different type of expertise.
Technology can help with discovery and evidence collection, while legal professionals can assess the circumstances of a case and determine how it should proceed. Bringing these capabilities together can reduce the amount of work a creator has to manage independently.
Credibly Yours was built around this part of the process. Creators can upload their work or provide links to published content, and the platform uses machine vision to search for potential unauthorized use while collecting and organizing evidence that can support legal action.. Its system also estimates potential compensation based on the circumstances of the case.
When a claim is suitable for enforcement, licensed legal professionals handle the legal process. Creators can sign documents online and follow the progress of their case through their personal dashboard. The creator still owns the right, the difference is having a service that helps turn that right into an actionable claim.
Removing the Financial Barrier
Access to enforcement also depends on cost. A creator may have a legitimate copyright claim but hesitate to pursue it if the initial expense is high relative to the expected recovery, which is one of the barriers identified by the U.S. Copyright Office in its research into copyright small claims.
Credibly Yours uses a success-based model to address this issue. Creators do not pay upfront for detection, analysis, or legal work. The service receives its commission when compensation is successfully recovered.
This allows the decision to begin with the case itself. Creators can first find potential unauthorized use, understand the circumstances, and assess whether the claim is worth pursuing. If the case has a strong chance of success, Credibly Yours can take the legal process forward.
“Copyright protection only becomes meaningful when creators can realistically act on their rights. We built Credibly Yours to close the gap between owning creative work and having a practical way to enforce those rights.”
— Dmitry Pashuk, CEO of Credibly Yours
A Different Way to Think About Copyright Protection
Copyright protection generally arises automatically when an original work is created and fixed in a tangible form, while enforcement requires a different series of decisions and actions. This distinction changes how copyright protection can be designed and where technology can contribute to the process.
Technology can simplify copyright enforcement by helping creators move from identifying potential misuse to understanding their options and taking action. Credibly Yours brings this process into one service, so creators can move from the initial discovery through assessment and legal action without having to coordinate each stage on their own.
“The technology should take care of the complexity behind copyright enforcement. Creators should have a clear path from discovering unauthorized use to deciding what action makes sense.”
— Semion Shaul, Chief Technology Officer at Credibly Yours
Copyright law gives creators rights, but those rights only create value when creators have a realistic way to act on them. Credibly Yours focuses on that space between ownership and enforcement, helping independent creators identify misuse, understand their options, and pursue compensation when appropriate.
Copyright establishes the right. Enforcement is what makes that right actionable.
