--- title: "Get It in Writing: Why Your Copyright's Only as Good as Your Paperwork" description: A publisher's $102M copyright case was dismissed, and what that means for your work. image: https://brandnamenerd.com/hubfs/6008E365-05D8-4FC1-83E1-1280E30DBA12_1_105_c.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://brandnamenerd.com/blog/get-it-in-writing-why-your-copyright-is-only-as-good-as-your-paperwork#main-content) [![Brand Name Nerd home](https://brandnamenerd.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/brandnamenerd-theme/Theme/images/theme-images/bnn_logo.svg "Brand Name Nerd home")](https://brandnamenerd.com) Brand Name Nerd Brand Name Nerd: Graphic Design for Small Businesses. Design Tips & Critical Hits. Menu - [Services](https://brandnamenerd.com/services) - [Pricing](https://brandnamenerd.com/pricing) - [Free tools](https://brandnamenerd.com/tools) - [Blog](https://brandnamenerd.com/blog) - [Contact](https://brandnamenerd.com/contact) # Get It in Writing: Why Your Copyright's Only as Good as Your Paperwork September 24, 2026 · by Amanda Burnswell In September 2026, [a federal judge dismissed copyright infringement claims brought by Wixen Music Publishing against Meta Platforms](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72184965/wixen-music-publishing-inc-v-meta-platforms-inc/). Wixen had accused Meta of continuing to use songs it administers after their licensing agreement expired, and its amended complaint listed 681 works and [sought more than $102 million in statutory damages](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/meta-moves-to-dismiss-wixens-102m-lawsuit-says-publisher-is-seeking-to-transform-a-routine-licensing-dispute-into-a-sweeping-legal-battle/). The case is *Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. v. Meta Platforms, Inc.*, No. 2:26-cv-00752, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Judge John F. Walter). The court didn't rule that Meta hadn't infringed. It ruled that Wixen hadn't shown it had legal standing to bring the case at all. The merits never came up. Specifically: Wixen couldn't demonstrate, with documentation, that it owned or exclusively licensed each song at issue. Without that proof, it couldn't be the party suing. Worth noting [the dismissal came with leave to amend](https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/09/09/wixen-meta-lawsuit-dismissed/), so Wixen can try again with a better-documented complaint. The case isn't over. But the reason it stalled is the part worth your attention. ![vecteezy\_office-desk-table-with-laptop-computer\_2297168](https://brandnamenerd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/vecteezy_office-desk-table-with-laptop-computer_2297168.jpg?width=5184&height=3456&name=vecteezy_office-desk-table-with-laptop-computer_2297168.jpg) ## Here's the part that should make you nervous This wasn't a first-time stumble by someone who didn't know better. [In its motion, Meta called Wixen a serial litigant](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/meta-moves-to-dismiss-wixens-102m-lawsuit-says-publisher-is-seeking-to-transform-a-routine-licensing-dispute-into-a-sweeping-legal-battle/) and pointed out that courts in that same district had already dismissed Wixen's copyright complaints twice on identical standing grounds: against Pandora in July 2020, and against Triller in February 2021. Three times. Same defect. A professional music publisher, represented by real lawyers, whose entire business is administering other people's copyrights. If chain-of-title documentation can trip up an outfit like that, it will absolutely trip up a small business that paid a freelancer via Venmo in 2019 and never got anything in writing. ## What "chain of title" actually means Chain of title is the documented trail showing who created something, who owns it now, and how it got from one to the other. For a copyright claim to hold up, you need every link in that chain, ideally with written agreements at each step. Where it usually breaks: **Commissioned work without a written agreement.** You paid a designer for a logo and used it for years, but nothing in writing says the copyright transferred to you? Under copyright law's default rules the creator may still own it, even though you paid in full. **Verbal agreements.** "We agreed I'd own it" is hard to enforce if the other party disputes it, or simply isn't reachable anymore. **Work-for-hire confusion.** Work by an independent contractor is not automatically work-for-hire. U.S. copyright law requires both that the work fall into specific statutory categories and that there be a signed written agreement saying so. Miss either and the creator typically keeps the copyright. **AI-generated elements with unclear origin.** The U.S. Copyright Office has held that material generated without human authorship isn't protectable by copyright. A logo built partly from tool output, under terms that don't clearly grant you commercial ownership, has a gap in its chain from day one. ## What good paperwork looks like - A written contract at commissioning time specifying who owns the copyright in the deliverables - For an independent contractor, explicit work-for-hire language where it legally applies, or a clear copyright assignment where it doesn't - Dated records: original files, revision history, email approvals, payment records - For significant assets, copyright registration. In the U.S. you generally have to register before you can file a federal infringement suit at all ## Why this matters even if you'll never sue anyone Most small businesses will never see a nine-figure lawsuit. But chain-of-title problems show up constantly in smaller ways: a platform takedown you can't effectively counter, a partnership dispute over who owns shared creative work, a business sale where the buyer's lawyer asks for IP documentation you don't have. That last one catches people. The paperwork you didn't do in year one becomes a discount on your sale price in year eight. Every project we hand off includes documentation of what was created, and what the client owns. Not because we expect a lawsuit. Because it costs nothing to do at the time and a great deal to reconstruct later. Curious how this applies to your current brand assets? [Let's chat](https://brandnamenerd.com/contact). *This describes a court ruling for general information and isn't legal advice. 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