Blockchain Copyright Platform ImageRights Partners With Cartoon Creator Andrews McMeel Universal

Copyright enforcement service ImageRights International has announced that cartoon creator Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) will be using its services to identify and pursue copyright infringement cases.

ImageRights provides AI-driven intelligent Internet search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies, image archives, professional photographers, and media companies worldwide enabling them to maximize control and monetization of their intellectual property. ImageRights launched the only fully automated US Copyright Office copyright registration service, which was also the first and only application of blockchain technology to provide an immutable record linking registered images to the registration number issued by the US Copyright Office.

Founded in 1970, Andrews McMeel Universal is a 50-year-old media corporation specializing in comics and cartoons, puzzles and games, and inspirational content. The AMU licensing archive includes the popular cartoon characters from Peanuts and Garfield.

Under the partnership, Andrews McMeel Universal will be using ImageRights’ Discovery and Recovery services to identify copyright infringement of its visual assets and cartoons online. ImageRights’ Discovery service will create a unique identity for each visual asset within AMU’s archives and search the Internet to identify where they have been misappropriated for commercial gain, without the correct license. ImageRights will then apply its proprietary AI to analyze these cases of misuse to prioritize those claims of image infringement on which to focus AMU’s attention.

“We pride ourselves on the creativity and originality of our creators’ cartoons and comics,” said Les Hinmon, Chief Financial Officer at AMU. “We are immensely proud of the archives that we represent, which is why copyright infringement is very concerning. Our growth has always come from taking creative risks, and ImageRights is helping us to continue to bring entertainment to peoples’ lives through the work of the creators we represent, while helping to protect against infringement and the de-valuation of the underlying creative assets.”

Joe Naylor, CEO of ImageRights, said that image misuse is damaging and devalues creativity.

“Having always enjoyed Andrews McMeel Universal’s comics and cartoons personally, it saddens me that misuse of these assets is happening with complete disregard for creators’ rights,” said Naylor. “We are excited to be in a position to now assist AMU in its efforts to protect its impressive array of visual assets.”