The Creator
Amara J. and Luis C., songwriting duo based in Barcelona, Spain.
The Situation
Amara (lyrics) and Luis (composition) co-wrote 12 songs for a potential sync licensing deal worth $35,000. After creative disagreements, Luis submitted the songs alone, listing himself as sole writer and claiming Amara’s lyrics were “placeholder text” he replaced.
The Problem
Amara had shared her lyrics via WhatsApp messages and shared Google Docs — but Luis had editing access to the Docs and the WhatsApp messages only proved she sent text, not that the text was her original creation.
The AuthorHash Solution
Amara had a habit of timestamping her lyric sheets as PDF files before sharing them with collaborators. Each of her 12 certificates had a date that preceded any WhatsApp messages or Google Doc creation dates. The certificates proved that the complete, final lyrics existed on Amara’s device before they were ever shared with Luis.
The Outcome
The sync library’s legal department reviewed the AuthorHash certificates and immediately recognized Amara as co-writer. The deal was restructured as a 50/50 split ($17,500 each), and the sync library now recommends AuthorHash to all contributors as standard practice.
"Timestamp before you share. That’s the rule now. I timestamp the lyric sheet, then send it to my collaborator. If things go wrong, there’s no argument about who wrote what.
Key Takeaway
Timestamp before you share. With anyone. Every time. It takes 60 seconds and removes all ambiguity.