News
RightsAgent launches platform to license, distribute, and monetize, user-generated content
RightsAgent, a new company headquartered in Cambridge, MA, has launched an online platform to allow users to license and monetize content including text, pictures, and videos. The company´s Internet-based free service allows users to consolidate the work they publish across the web into a unified feed, license their work with both Creative Commons and for-profit options, and build reputation based upon the value of the content they create.
The company launched it’s new service in SanFrancisco this week at a public event celebrating the fifth birthday of Creative Commons (a nonprofit organization enabling publishers to share their user-generated content). "User-generated content (in the form of web-delivered blogs, photos and videos) is exploding. However, until today users had no way to consolidate their web-wide publishing into a system that automates licensing to permit re-use, and monetization of their content", said Rudy Rouhana, co-founder of RightsAgent, Inc.
"RightsAgent gives online content creators what they've been looking for: a service that will give them easy-to-use tools to manage copyright licensing of their work that supports free, and for fee reuse based upon commercial and non-commercial intent", said Prof. John Palfrey, co-founder of RightsAgent. Palfrey, who is also Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, added: "RightsAgent is meeting this growing demand by creating and offering a scalable, open platform to help users exercise control on how their content is deployed and allowing them to benefit monetarily."
Publishers can get started with a simple process that begins when a user enters where they publish their blogs, photos and videos online, and verifies that they are the valid owner of those sources. This enables RightsAgent to generate a consolidated feed of all their content to which readers can subscribe. In addition, publishers and buyers can cultivate a reputation score (a similar system is used with buyers and sellers on Ebay), rewarding both parties for creating content worthy of reuse and taking the steps necessary to acquire its rights responsibly.
"RightsAgent plugs a big hole in the world of user generated creativity, by making it simple for creators to license rights commercially with their creative work," said Prof. Lawrence Lessig, CEO of Creative Commons. "We are confident RightsAgent will help encourage the spread of Creative Commons licenses and the support for legal reuse and remix."
Web: www.rightsagent.com
Posted in: Citizen Journalism, Legal / Copyright, News, Stock Art Buyers
