What is a Copyright Claimant / Rights Holder?

A copyright claimant, or rights holder, is a person or entity that legally owns the rights to a creative work under copyright law. In other words, they are the person or entity that can control how the work is used and who can use it.

The copyright claimant may be the author of the work, but it could also be someone else or an organization, such as a company, record label, or publisher. They may have obtained ownership of the copyright in a number of ways, such as through a contract, by purchasing it from the author, or by inheriting it from the author or a previous copyright owner.

Ultimately, the copyright claimant is responsible for enforcing the copyright and can take legal action against anyone who infringes upon their rights, such as by using the work without permission. They can also license the work to others for use in exchange for payment, or they can choose to waive their rights and allow the work to be used for free.

If you need help tracking down the rights holder of a song, you can submit a free copyright search or Cover Song Licensing project to Easy Song and get your search results via email within 1-2 business days.