Copyright Agent
Copyright Agent A/S is a Copenhagen-based legal-tech company that uses proprietary image-tracking software to detect unauthorized online use of copyrighted images, then pursues enforcement and settlements on a no-win no-fee basis for professional photographers and image agencies across 20+ countries.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersCopenhagen, Denmark
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Copyright Agent does
Copyright Agent A/S is a Copenhagen-based legal-tech company that protects copyright in digital images on behalf of professional photographers and image agencies. Its core technology is proprietary image-tracking software that scans the internet for unauthorized use of registered images, combined with an end-to-end case management workflow that handles infringement cases from detection through settlement or litigation. The company brands its full-service offering as IPRaaS (Intellectual Property Rights as a Service) and operates a self-service Case Resolution Portal (cases.copyrightagent.com) where alleged infringers can view case details and settle claims directly.
The business model is a no-win no-fee transaction-fee structure: Copyright Agent only charges when an enforcement case is successfully resolved, generating revenue as a percentage of settlements recovered for rights holders. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the company also operates a registered debt-collection intermediary (Copyright Agent Benelux bv), which pursues compensation through formal collection channels. Customers are primarily B2B: large news photo agencies (NTB Norway, Ritzau Scanpix Denmark, STT Finland, SPX, Belga Belgium, Caters UK) and individual professional photographers, with operations spanning more than 20 countries.
In December 2024, Copyright Agent merged with Belgian peer Visual Rights Group (VRG), doubling its workforce, expanding offices into the UK and USA, and creating the largest copyright enforcement player in the Nordics and Benelux. The company is publicly listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market under the ticker COPY, with leadership under CEO and Group President Christoffer Feilberg and a board chaired by Morten Elk. Distribution combines direct enterprise partnerships with image agencies and a channel of seven legal partner firms across jurisdictions for cases that escalate beyond direct resolution.
Copyright Agent firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Copyright Agent
- Legal name
- Copyright Agent A/S
- Website
- https://copyrightagent.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Copyright Agent A/S is a Copenhagen-based legal-tech company that uses proprietary image-tracking software to detect unauthorized online use of copyrighted images, then pursues enforcement and settlements on a no-win no-fee basis for professional photographers and image agencies across 20+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Copyright Agent industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Copyright Protection Services
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF), IP Protection & Anti-Piracy Operations (Copyright/Trademark takedowns) (BPAAALAL)
Keywords
Where Copyright Agent is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Copenhagen
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Copyright Agent business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Copyright Enforcement Services: The company charges a fee only if a case is successfully solved, operating on a no-win no-fee basis. Revenue is generated through successful enforcement actions on behalf of photographers and image agencies, recovering settlements for copyright infringement.
- Debt Collections (Benelux): Copyright Agent Benelux bv acts as a debt collection intermediary for copyright infringements in Belgium and Netherlands, registered with local government authorities. They send settlement proposals and pursue compensation for unauthorized image use.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Copyright Agent product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Copyright Agent provides a legal-tech platform that detects unauthorized online use of images via proprietary image tracking software and manages the end-to-end copyright enforcement process on behalf of photographers and image agencies. Cases are handled from identification through legal resolution, with fees charged only on successful outcomes under a no-win no-fee model. The comprehensive offering is branded IPRaaS (Intellectual Property Rights as a Service).
Product overview
Copyright Agent offers a unified intellectual property protection platform built around its core Image Protection product, which uses advanced software to detect unauthorized use of images online. This core is supplemented by a Case Resolution Portal for direct counterparty engagement and an End-to-End Case Management service where the company's experts handle the entire infringement process on a success-fee basis. The company brands its comprehensive offering as IPRaaS (Intellectual Property Rights as a Service), positioning itself as a full-service copyright protection solution rather than a set of discrete standalone modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Copyright Agent/VRG: Combined group name used during transition period following merger with Visual Rights Group until unified brand identity is established.
- IPRaaS
Products and services
- Image Protection Advanced software that identifies where images have been used online without permission, allowing rights holders (photographers and image agencies) to manage detected infringement cases through a simple interface.
- Case Resolution Portal Online portal at cases.copyrightagent.com where recipients of infringement notices can log in to view case details, see detected instances of infringement, and resolve claims.
- IPRaaS (Intellectual Property Rights as a Service) Full-service Intellectual Property Rights as a Service solution that safeguards digital content (already published and yet to be published), combining image tracking, case management, and enforcement on a no-win no-fee basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- £13,250 settlement recovered from Express Newspapers (Daily Star) for 7 infringements of 5 photographs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Copyright Agent
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Copyright Agent technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Copyright Agent partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- APIX SyndicationcoreAPIX Syndication, a business registered under the laws of Australia, manages licensing of photographs for photographers and appoints Copyright Agent to enforce their rights against infringers. The partnership enables international enforcement actions across multiple jurisdictions.
- Visual Rights Group (VRG)coreMerger announced in December 2024 to create a unified group. VRG is a Belgian company with expertise in copyright protection, operating in Benelux with offices in UK and USA. The merger doubles the workforce and establishes global presence, creating the largest player in Nordics and Benelux.
- Sonder & ClaycoreUK solicitors engaged by Copyright Agent to pursue copyright enforcement actions when direct resolution fails. Handled cases against Express Newspapers and Associated Newspapers.
- NTB NorwaycoreNorwegian newsphoto agency and key partner. Manages copyright protection for photographers' image portfolios. Testimonial: 'Legal expertise, flexibility and understanding our business as image agency, combined with the ability to operate each market in local languages, was key in choosing Copyright Agent.' - Joakim Nilsson, NTB Norway
- Ritzau ScanpixcoreDanish image agency partner. Testimonial: 'Copyright Agent has radically elevated and strengthened our fight against infringements to an efficient and professional level.' - Kris Kjær Nielsen, Ritzau Scanpix
- GGN LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- Albrecht LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- Web Forensic LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- Higbee LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- Parmentier Couvreur LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- Enthemis LegalminorLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
- CEPICminorProud member of CEPIC, a major European visual content industry association.
- Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI)minorProud member of the Content Authenticity Initiative, focused on authentic storytelling through digital content provenance.
- NowID (Stichting NowID)minorDutch Association of Licensed Collection Agencies. Copyright Agent Benelux is affiliated with NowID and can use their complaints and dispute registration and handling services for Dutch cases.
- DSFOminorProud member of DSFO, Danish association.
- Dansk ErhvervminorProud member of Dansk Erhverv, Danish business association.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Copyright Agent competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Copytrack: Direct peer offering image copyright protection, monitoring, and enforcement on a no-recovery-no-fee model. Copytrack's technology stack and international legal network overlap directly with Copyright Agent's value proposition across European and Asian markets.
- ImageRights: Direct competitor providing image copyright registration, detection, and enforcement services primarily for photographers, photo agencies, and publishers in North America and Europe. Comparable business model and customer base to Copyright Agent.
- PhotoClaim: Direct peer offering image copyright protection and enforcement services for photographers and image agencies, with a similar no-cure-no-pay revenue model. Competes with Copyright Agent in the European market for outsourced copyright recovery.
- Pixsy: Direct competitor in image copyright enforcement for photographers and agencies. Pixsy offers image monitoring, case management, and legal enforcement on a similar no-win no-fee basis, targeting the same photographer and stock-agency customer base globally.
Others
- CEPIC: European industry association for the visual media sector of which Copyright Agent is a member. Not a competitor, but a relevant industry body whose member roster overlaps with Copyright Agent's photographer and image-agency customer base.
Emerging players
- Vobile: Content identification and rights management company (which acquired Pex) that provides content fingerprinting for video, audio, and increasingly images. Adjacent in that it powers rights enforcement for digital media via automated detection, but operates upstream of legal recovery rather than running cases end-to-end.
- Audible Magic: Content identification and rights management vendor that powers content ID workflows for audio, video, and increasingly visual media. Comparable technology stack to Copyright Agent's image-tracking engine, though historically focused on music and video use cases.
- Digimarc: Digital watermarking and content identification technology provider used by media and brands to detect and enforce rights on images and other digital assets. Comparable in the detection layer of the copyright enforcement stack that Copyright Agent operates.
Broad incumbents
- Getty Images: Incumbent stock-photo platform with an in-house rights enforcement and legal team that pursues unauthorized use of its catalog. Operates its own enforcement rather than a pure-play services model, but addresses the same end-customer need of protecting and monetizing licensed image rights.
- Shutterstock: Major stock image marketplace with established rights management and contributor protection infrastructure. While primarily a content marketplace, its enforcement and licensing verification capabilities overlap with Copyright Agent's image-tracking and case-management core.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Copyright Agent social profiles
Digital presenceCopyright Agent compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Copyright Agent financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Copyright Agent leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Copyright Agent subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Copyright Agent funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Copyright Agent M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Copyright Agent
What does Copyright Agent do?
Copyright Agent provides a legal-tech platform that detects unauthorized online use of images via proprietary image tracking software and manages the end-to-end copyright enforcement process on behalf of photographers and image agencies. Cases are handled from identification through legal resolution, with fees charged only on successful outcomes under a no-win no-fee model. The comprehensive offering is branded IPRaaS (Intellectual Property Rights as a Service).
Is Copyright Agent a public or private company?
Copyright Agent is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Copyright Agent founded?
Copyright Agent was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Copyright Agent based?
Copyright Agent is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Copyright Agent make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Copyright Enforcement Services are the primary driver. The others are debt Collections (Benelux).
Who are Copyright Agent's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Copytrack, ImageRights, PhotoClaim and Pixsy. CEPIC is listed as an others. Emerging players are Vobile, Audible Magic and Digimarc. Broad incumbents are Getty Images and Shutterstock.
Does Copyright Agent have an API?
No public API is recorded for Copyright Agent.
What industry is Copyright Agent in?
Copyright Agent's product category is Copyright Protection Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAMAC, Copyright Services & Content Protection, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAF, Intellectual Property (IP) Law. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 8111.