Copyright Agent

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.

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

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

• Copyright enforcement services
• Image protection software
• Intellectual property rights
• Copyright infringement detection
• Legal-tech platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• APIX SyndicationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2024APIX 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Merger 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 & ClaycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUK solicitors engaged by Copyright Agent to pursue copyright enforcement actions when direct resolution fails. Handled cases against Express Newspapers and Associated Newspapers.
• NTB NorwaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian 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 ScanpixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDanish 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 LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• Albrecht LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• Web Forensic LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• Higbee LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• Parmentier Couvreur LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• Enthemis LegalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal network partner collaborating with Copyright Agent on case handling.
• CEPICminorOthersProud member of CEPIC, a major European visual content industry association.
• Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI)minorOthersProud member of the Content Authenticity Initiative, focused on authentic storytelling through digital content provenance.
• NowID (Stichting NowID)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDutch 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.
• DSFOminorOthersProud member of DSFO, Danish association.
• Dansk ErhvervminorOthersProud member of Dansk Erhverv, Danish business association.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/copyrightagent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copyrightagent
• Instagraminstagram.com/copyrightagent_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Copyright Agent