For decades, independent creators were given the copyright tools that suited others’ needs – an expensive one-size-fits-all option of suing in federal court, subject to timing requirements for registration that took away key remedies. Finally, Congress has enacted a small-claim option designed especially for independent creators. And the anti-copyright crowd is hoping they can trick you into not using it.
It took a decade to get the small claims law, known as the CASE Act, through Congress. Every step of the way the anti-copyright crowd used scare tactics and disinformation to delay, oppose, and try to kill it. Now, when the small claims process — the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) — is about to begin operating, that same crowd wants to scare you away from even considering this solution to enforce your rights.
They want you to believe the rules are too complicated and bureaucratic to bother filing a claim. Because they would rather you simply give up the whole idea of ever defending your copyright rights.
The CCB was created with the goal that independent creators can file and manage a small claim without hiring an attorney, but it’s still a legal process. Materials must be filed correctly, and there are deadlines to meet and tasks which must be done that are not the ordinary work of a photographer, songwriter, book author, and so on. But don’t be scared! RightsClick is specifically designed to help you.
We have been working hard to launch RightsClick when the CCB begins operations, and we’re finishing the CCB tool in our software suite right now. It will explain the process in plain English, and in a matter of minutes, you will be able to identify the essential information you need to file your claim. And RightsClick will help you track the process so you don’t miss important deadlines.
The whole idea behind RightsClick is to help you make informed decisions about managing and enforcing your copyright rights, and to provide the tools to help you take actions like filing small claims. We want you to be able to do this quickly so you can focus on your real job—creative work. The infringers are hoping you’ll be too busy or too confused to bother defending your rights. And the anti-copyright crowd is eager to help spread that message. We at RightsClick believe it’s time to change that narrative.
Resource Links:
The Copyright Claims Board Website https://ccb.gov/
Learn about the Copyright Claims Board from ASMP and Copyright Alliance https://copyrightalliance.org/trending-topics/copyright-small-claims/