New Delhi: LegalPay, the biggest litigation funding startup in India, has unveiled an AI-powered image monitoring tool aimed at assisting professional photographers and artists to safeguard their visual content copyrights.
ImageMatch is a proprietary technology supported by AI that employs reverse image search to track the usage of images throughout the internet efficiently.
ImageMatch makes it easy for these professionals to import their images and have the system perform reverse image searches automatically, eliminating the need for manual searches on platforms such as Google.
The potential loss in photography infringement cases can vary based on several factors, but the industry’s estimate is to settle cases at a minimum of INR 15000 per copyright violation.
Talking about this innovative technology, Kundan Shahi, the Founder and CEO of LegalPay, said, “Imagematch can search the Internet similar to Google Images and Bing Images to locate any instances of stolen images. This makes it effortless for users to detect image theft, and the system automatically identifies copyright violations and documents where the images are located on the web. Additionally, the system stores the results, eliminates duplicate findings, and removes any false positives.”
Shahi further added that ImageMatch diligently searches the internet for instances of your images and meticulously records them, storing the results securely for an indefinite period. As long as the account remains active, the professionals can have uninterrupted access to the stored information.
Media houses have shown interest in monitoring the use of their staff-produced images online, ensuring proper licensing, copyright protection, and fair compensation for rights holders. With the possibility of this becoming a global product, it’s important to note that out of 3 billion images shared daily, approximately 85% are stolen.
In Asia, China leads in image copyright violation with 25%, followed by Indonesia at 13% and India at 11%.
This tool can run a quick search on all websites and platforms to identify all morphed or manipulated images across the web. The platform is built on highly scalable cloud infrastructure, which makes it fast and responsive, and it can handle an infinite quantity of media and related data.
Following this LegalPay would assist in resolving these instances of Intellectual Property breaches by identifying them and enabling users to recover damages resulting from such breaches.
“This not only serves to prevent copyright infringement for professional photographers, creators, and artists but also safeguards their IP rights by providing them with the necessary legal recourse in the event of a breach,” Shahi said.
We have received queries regarding copyright infringement from OTT platforms where the complainants allege that their pictures were used in web series without permission. In India, if a copyright owner files a criminal suit for infringement, the minimum punishment is imprisonment for six months, extendable up to three years, along with a minimum fine of Rs. 50,000, which can go up to Rs. 2 lakhs.
Engaging in a legal battle for such a small fee would be costly. It’s not worth the two years and large sums of money spent on litigation with the uncertainty of winning and the risk of having to pay lawyer fees if the case is lost.
Photographers play a crucial role in determining the online usage of their work. LegalPay aims to empower them with the necessary tools and self-assurance to enhance their brand and expand their business. With copyright infringement being prevalent, our mission is to champion the rights of artists and counter the surge of unauthorized image usage. We believe that access to legal assistance should be simple and affordable, which is why we handle cases worldwide on a no-win, no-fee basis, ensuring a fair resolution.
LegalPay is a Fintech startup that focuses on litigation funding. Recently, copyright infringement has been ever-growing online, and this is why you should use ImageMatch, to make sure you know if someone is stealing your images. LegalPay helps people at large to get access to justice through litigation and arbitration. LegalPay has funded over 2500 litigations and arbitrations across the globe in different jurisdictions.
