Is AI a threat? Building Macula.Link to level the playing field for creators
Many creators are understandably concerned about AI models being trained on their content and then replicating their work and style. The wave of AI is turning into a tsunami, and there’s no turning back. But is there something we can do to balance the scales for creators?
The world is changing fast, and creators need tools that can keep up. With AI on the rise, protecting your content and managing your rights is more important than ever. We built Macula for the future, level the playing field, and give creators the power to thrive in this new environment.
Challenges to Solve: Copyright Discovery, Content Scraping, and common Freebooting
The rise of content scraping for training AI algorithms heightens the risk of unauthorized use and loss of control over creators’ work. This adds to the ongoing problem of freebooting that has plagued creators for years.
At the same time, AI model creators often claim there’s little they can do. “There isn’t really a way to get a hundred million images and know where they’re coming from,” stated David Holz, founder and CEO of Midjourney, in his 2022 Forbes interview. “It would be cool if images had metadata embedded in them about the copyright owner or something. But that’s not a thing.”
So, until now, opting out was the only option creators had to make a stand. But should this task really be a burden for creators to manage? Absolutely not. It needs to be automated, ending the excuse used by some large corporations.
The Open Future Foundation identifies the “copyright discovery problem” as the root of the issue and emphasizes the need for a solution: “There is an urgent need for better copyright information infrastructures… to automatically assess the copyright status of works — and clear rights.”
And this is exactly why we built and now launching Macula.Link
A Command Center ©️ for All Your Content
Macula.Link solves the copyright discovery problem by automatically embedding copyright metadata within your published content. This metadata is preserved when shared with Universal Links.
The embedded copyright info is not only readable by humans but also by AI algorithms, making proper attribution easy whenever your work is shared, reposted, or otherwise online.
By using Macula, you can specify a license for your work and ensure your attribution is secure and visible when your content is shared online. You can also track how it’s used and how it performs.
Universal Links: A smarter (and safer ©️) way to share
Publishing with UniLink protects from unauthorized AI scraping: the metadata is preserved when the file is published/shared, Copyright Notice and Web Statement of Rights are there and can be seen by either human or an algoritm.
Macula‘s Universal Links (UniLinks) are built to act as smart gateways to secure your content, allowing for seamless embedding and sharing across platforms like websites, apps, and social media supporting Open Graph Protocol.
- UniLinks come equipped with built-in analytics and support for UTM codes, enabling creators to run targeted marketing campaigns without relying on third-party platforms.
- For images shared with a UniLink, users can enjoy on-the-fly content transformations. Each UniLink carries a Copyright Notice and a Web Statement of Rights specifying the available license options (currently creators can choose from CC licenses or set their own).
Rights Management — simplified & smoothly integrated into your creative workflow
You shouldn’t have to be a lawyer to protect your rights online, and juggling content management shouldn’t take away from your creative flow.
Macula streamlines the copyright management process, freeing creators to focus on what they do best: creating. We believe creators shouldn’t have to be copyright lawyers to protect their work.
At the same time, clear copyright discovery is quite useful for AI tools to prevent themselves from getting caught in legal messes related to copyright infringement.
Building for the future
Macula is currently in beta. We value your feedback and believe that by working together, we can build a future where creators can thrive in the digital age, confidently leveraging AI tools while maintaining full control and ownership of their intellectual property.
Sign up to try Macula with a free, no-strings-attached plan!
Feel free to reach out to us with your ideas or questions on Discord, X/Twitter, or via email hey <at> macula.link.
To see what’s already in the works, you can always check Macula feature roadmap. That’s also where the functionality requests and suggestions we get from you will appear.
