The U.S. Copyright Claims Board has been live for a few days and thus far 19 cases have been filed. This doesn’t include any file-sharing piracy claims. Most cases are filed by smaller creators, including an artist who accuses Paris Hilton of repeatedly sharing photos on social media that infringe on her fairy wing design.

Last Thursday, the US Copyright Claims Board went live. Through this venue, hosted at the Copyright Office, copyright holders can try to recoup alleged damages outside the federal court system.

The board aims to make it cheaper for creators to resolve disputes. There’s no attorney required and the filing fee is limited to $100 per claim. Accused parties also benefit as the potential damages are capped at $30,000. Those who prefer traditional lawsuits can choose to opt-out.

While this sounds positive, there are also concerns that the system will be used by opportunistic rightsholders to extract ‘easy money’ from less law-savvy individuals. The Copyright Claims Board put several safeguards in place to prevent this, but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.

The rest of this article can be read on TorrentFreak.com

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