Advanced Copyright Management for Media Agencies

Media & Entertainment

Scenario

Dynamic Copyright Licensing and Revenue Management

Objective

Showcasing how Enhansa’s solutions adeptly manage complex copyright agreements between photographers (rights holders) and media agencies, addressing various usage scenarios and revenue-sharing models

Problem context

Media agencies navigate intricate agreements with photographers, where certain uses of photos are free, others are paid, and revenue sharing varies based on usage intensity and channels

Pain points

Navigating agreements with varying terms for different usage scenarios
Managing revenue sharing agreements that include lump-sum payments and pay-per-use models
Accurately tracking usage across multiple channels and applying corresponding pricing

Implementation of a flexible rights and revenue management system

Automated determination of photo usage terms based on specific agreements

Tracking of photo usage across various channels and applying different pricing models

Handling revenue sharing agreements, including lump-sum and pay-per-use calculations

Enhansa’s Semantic Data Transformations in Copyright Management

Approach and Implementation

Technology utilised

Enhansa components:

PLIE. Policy and Logic Interpretation Engine, consisting of EYE Reasoner and Notation3 (N3)

CSE. Clearing and Settlement Engine

Hypothetical strategy

Development of a semantic data model to represent diverse copyright and revenue-sharing agreements

Integration with media agency’s digital asset management systems for real-time tracking and compliance

Example of N3 Logic Code

Rule for Usage-Based Pricing and Revenue Sharing

@prefix photo: <http://example.org/photo#> .

@prefix fin: <http://example.org/finance#> .

@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .



# Rule for Recording Micro Transactions

{

    ?use a photo:PhotoUse;

        photo:image ?image;

        photo:channel ?channel;

        photo:usageCount ?count;

        fin:currentQuarter ?quarter.

    ?image photo:copyrightHolder ?holder;

           photo:agreement ?agreement.

    ?agreement fin:payPerUseRate ?rate;

               fin:channelPricing ?channelPricing.

    ?channelPricing photo:channel ?channel; fin:rate ?channelRate.

    BIND ((?count * ?channelRate) AS ?microTransactionAmount)

    FILTER (?count <= ?agreement fin:threshold)

} => {

    ?holder fin:recordMicroTransaction [ fin:amount ?microTransactionAmount; fin:quarter ?quarter ].

}.



# Rule for Quarterly Settlement Invoicing

{

    ?holder a photo:CopyrightHolder;

            fin:microTransactionRecord ?record.

    ?record fin:quarter ?quarter; fin:amount ?amount.

    ?agreement fin:threshold ?threshold; fin:lumpSum ?lumpSum.

    FILTER (?quarter = "Q1" || ?quarter = "Q2" || ?quarter = "Q3" || ?quarter = "Q4")

    SUM(?amount AS ?totalQuarterlyAmount)

    LET (?totalDue = ?lumpSum + ?totalQuarterlyAmount)

} => {

    ?holder fin:issueQuarterlyInvoice [ fin:dueAmount ?totalDue; fin:quarter ?quarter ].

}.

Explanation of the N3 Logic

  • This rule applies to each use of a photograph within the threshold limit.
  • It calculates the amount for each micro-transaction based on the usage count and channel-specific rate.
  • These amounts are recorded for each copyright holder for the current quarter.
  • This rule is triggered at the end of each quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4).
  • It aggregates all micro-transaction amounts recorded for each copyright holder.
  • The total quarterly amount is combined with any lump sum (if applicable) to generate a quarterly invoice.

Practical Example

Micro Transactions Rule

A photo used 30 times in a digital campaign in Q1, with a rate of $10 per use.

$300 recorded as micro-transactions for Q1.

Quarterly Settlement Invoicing Rule

At the end of Q1, the total micro-transactions amount is combined with a lump sum (if applicable) for the quarterly invoice.

A quarterly invoice is generated based on the lump sum and the total amount of micro-transactions.

Enhansa’s Impact on Copyright Management

  • Precise adherence to complex copyright and revenue-sharing agreements.
  • Transparent and accurate billing for photo usage across various channels.
  • Efficient management of financial settlements between photographers and agencies.
  • 100% accuracy in billing and revenue distribution.
  • Reduction in manual workload for contract management by 50%.
  • Increased revenue for photographers due to precise tracking and compliance.