RightsFlow, CD Baby And BookBaby Announce Initiative To Help Independent Artists And Authors Protect Their Copyrights
RightsFlow’s MySpark Copyright Registration Utility Now Offered To Distributors’ Creative Community
November 7, 2011 (New York, NY) RightsFlow, a leading licensing and royalty service provider, has partnered with Audio and Video Labs, Inc., parent company of CD Baby, the leading digital distributor of independent music, and BookBaby, its distribution arm for independent authors, to offer creators and content owners with a simple and secure service to help register their works with the United States Copyright Office. RightsFlow’s MySpark online copyright registration utility will now be integrated into the commerce pipeline, educational resources and marketing outreach of the CD Baby and Book Baby distribution channels.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with RightsFlow by offering the MySpark service to our artists, bands, authors and writers,” said Tony van Veen, President and CEO of Audio and Video Labs Inc. “This initiative provides our customers with a very important stream-lined option ensuring that their works are correctly registered with the Copyright Office, and are protected accordingly against copyright infringement, if it should occur.”
Launched by RightsFlow earlier this year, MySpark provides creators and content owners with a simple, safe and secure way to register their work with the U.S.C.O. and includes the following benefits or features:
- Easy-to-use online forms are in straight-forward plain English, not legalese, reducing the complexity of the process
- Expert customer service and support through online, social, and direct channels
- Document preparation and submission
- Instant MySpark certification upon completion noting that the works have been successfully submitted
- A low, one-time fee of $85 (inclusive of U.S. Copyright Office fees)
Copyright registration creates a public record of a creator’s work and ownership, securing a certificate of registration with the U.S.C.O. and ultimately providing legal protection and compensation in Federal Court against infringement. Categories of work eligible for submission include literary (articles, screenplays, sermons, poems), visual (photography, painting, graphic design, sculpture, architectural), sound recordings (song, album, lyrics, compositions), performing arts (films, television, theatrical productions), web and software (websites, desktop and mobile apps).
“Our commitment is to develop and deliver innovative products and services that empower the creative community,” added Patrick Sullivan, RightsFlow President and CEO. “This partnership reflects the mutual desire of our two companies to serve artists, musicians and creators, and to help ensure that they have the necessary tools for the recognition and protections due to them in accordance with the law.”
CD Baby is the largest digital distributor of independent music in the world. Sister eBook distribution arm BookBaby offers self-published authors the highest pay-out rate for eBook distribution in the industry — 100% of their net sales revenue paid weekly. It also provides ISBNs, file formatting, cover design, and free basic ePUB conversion.
RightsFlow is one of the leading experts in mechanical licensing, simplifying how rights holders get paid. As new methods of consuming music have emerged the company has quickly become a pioneer in solving the complex issues of copyright compliance with service offerings that are widely being adopted by artists, labels, distributors, and global entertainment businesses.
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