Claim Kit — Copyright Claims Board self-help

Can you file at the Board?

Six questions. A red stamp means the Board cannot hear it or will send it back.

What happened?

Someone used my work A false DMCA takedown hit my post I’m accused and want a ruling I didn’t infringe A contract or payment dispute

Where does the other side live or do business?

United States Outside the U.S.

Is it a government agency?

No Yes, federal or state

Your registration

Registered Application filed, waiting Not filed yet Refused

When did the use begin?The earliest date you can prove.

Already in court?

No Yes

Who posted it?

The person or business I’m filing against A user, on a platform I’d file against

The works

Every work in the claim needs a registration number, or the case number and filing date of a pending application.

The respondent

Who you are filing against. The Board serves no one for you; you will need this address to serve them.

Name of person or business

Their website or account

Street address

City

State

ZIP

What did they do?

Can’t find an address? Check the state’s business registry for the company’s registered agent, the site’s contact or terms page, and the CCB’s directory of designated service agents.

Evidence log

One entry for each place the copy appeared. Save a dated screenshot showing the address bar, and archive the page at web.archive.org/save.

What happened, in order

Write plain facts: dates, places, what you saw. Registry turns them into the numbered statement the Board reads.

How you created or own the work

How they could have seen it

What they copied and how they used it

Which of your rights did it violate?

Copied it Displayed it publicly Sold or distributed copies Made an altered version Performed or streamed it

Did you ever give permission?

Never Licensed, but they went beyond it Their license ended

Is it still up?

Yes, still in use No, it stopped

What happened when you contacted them (optional)

What you ask for

Choose statutory damages (a set amount per work, within limits) or actual damages and profits (what you lost, with proof).

Kind of damages

Statutory Actual damages and profits

Track

Standard claim (up to $30,000) Smaller claim (up to $5,000, one officer, faster)

What would you have charged for this use?Your usual license fee is the best anchor. One published Board decision set damages at three times a $500 fee.

Amount you ask for ($)

The harm, in your words

Each side normally pays its own costs. The Board can award up to $5,000 in fees only for bad-faith conduct ($2,500 in costs for someone without a lawyer).

Pre-check

The same things the Board’s compliance review looks for. Clear every red stamp before you file.