Ben Woollams, founder and CEO of TrueRights, on building the first digital rights management platform for talent, why AI deepfakes make IP ownership urgent rather than theoretical, and how clear rights frameworks enable more ambitious brand-creator partnerships.
"There are no tools that allow talent to establish how and where their IP is being used. We are building that."
Why digital rights infrastructure is the missing layer in the creator economy and why AI makes it urgent
Ben Woollams spent eight years in influencer marketing before founding TrueRights. He identified a structural gap: brands and agencies increasingly depend on creator IP, but there are almost no tools that allow talent to establish definitively where and how their likeness, voice, or creative output is being used.
In this conversation Woollams explains why the proliferation of AI deepfakes makes this urgent, how rights management is a facilitator for more creative and legally secure brand-creator work, and how his path from UBS wealth management to influencer marketing to tech founder was guided by following the most interesting problem.
We are building a digital rights platform that helps talent better own their digital presence. I came from the influencer world and one thing I saw was a big dependency on creators and their IP in marketing plans. But there are no tools that allow them to establish how and where their IP is being used.
Woollams identifies a gap in the creator economy ecosystem that brands and agencies depend on but have no system to manage.
With the proliferation of AI, what does it mean to have more control over your IP? Deepfakes and everything else is starting to take advantage of that. If you do not have a documented record of what has been licensed, you have almost no basis for challenging unlicensed use.
AI has turned what was a manageable inconvenience into a serious structural problem.
I see it as a facilitator. We want rights to be licenced effectively to allow marketers and brands to go in and build on great creative ideas, all above board. IP has become such a powerful feature for any brand or talent in terms of building resonance and credibility.
Woollams reframes rights management from legal overhead to creative enabler.
I worked at UBS in wealth management from 17. A friend was CEO of a company called Influencer and I transitioned into influencer marketing because it was exciting. Eight years later I founded TrueRights having seen the gap throughout my career.
A career shaped by following the most interesting problem at each stage.
IP has become such a powerful feature for any brand, for any talent, in terms of building resonance and credibility in a certain space. How do we provide a framework that facilitates being more creative, more ambitious, all above board?
Woollams connects commercial IP management to brand reputation management.
"IP has become such a powerful feature for any brand, for any talent. It is about resonance and credibility."
Host Tell us about TrueRights.
Woollams We are building a digital rights platform that helps talent better own their digital presence. Eight years in influencer marketing showed me the gap: brands depend on creator IP but there are no tools for talent to track and control how it is used.
Host How does AI change the urgency?
Woollams AI and deepfakes are taking advantage of the absence of rights infrastructure. Without documented records of what has been licensed you have almost no basis for challenging unlicensed use of your digital likeness. Rights management is a facilitator, not a blocker. Clear frameworks enable more ambitious creative work.
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