The Copyright Claims Board (CCB) is a smaller-claims process operated by the U.S. Copyright Office. It was designed to be more accessible than federal court for lower-value copyright disputes.
What a CCB infringement claim requires
A claimant must identify the copyrighted work, the respondent, what happened, the harm suffered, and the requested relief. To file, a claimant must have either a copyright registration or a complete pending application.
How it works
- Filings are made through the CCB’s electronic filing system, eCCB.
- Respondents have an opt-out period. If all respondents opt out, the proceeding does not go forward.
- Proceedings are generally handled on written submissions, without live testimony or in-person hearings.
Damages — capped, but structured
- In a standard CCB proceeding, the maximum award is $30,000 total.
- If the work was registered within three months of first publication or before the infringement began, statutory damages can be up to $15,000 per infringed work and $30,000 per proceeding.
- If the work was registered more than three months after publication and after the infringement began, statutory damages can be up to $7,500 per infringed work and $15,000 per proceeding.
- The CCB does not increase damages based on willfulness.
- A smaller-claims track may be available when the claimant seeks $5,000 or less.
What the CCB generally cannot do
The CCB generally cannot order a respondent to stop or modify their activity unless the respondent agrees to it as part of the process. If injunctive relief is your goal, federal court is usually the pathway.
When the CCB may make sense
The CCB may be a fit when the work is registered (or has a complete pending application), the dollar exposure is modest, and the respondent is a real party who is unlikely to disappear or opt out. It may not be a fit when you need an injunction, when the respondent is likely to opt out, or when damages could substantially exceed the CCB caps.