In the RightHub platform, each website finding moves through a set of statuses that reflect its current stage in the enforcement or review process. Understanding these statuses makes it easier to track the progress of findings, prioritize your actions, and manage enforcement efficiently.
Below is an overview of each status and what it means:
Unhandled
All website findings start as Unhandled.
This means the finding has been detected but no action has been taken yet. The finding awaits review, either manually by a user or through automated handling.
Initiated
When a user clicks Enforce on a finding, its status updates to Initiated.
At this point, the system prepares the complaint, but the actual filing has not yet occurred. This marks the finding as ready for enforcement action.
Processing
Once a complaint is filed, the finding enters the Processing phase.
Depending on the complaint’s route, Processing will break into one of four detailed statuses to indicate who is currently handling the complaint:
Registrant Processing:
- The complaint has been sent to the owner (registrant) of the website domain.
Hosting Provider Processing:
- If the registrant does not act, the complaint escalates to the web hosting provider.
Registrar Processing:
- If the hosting provider does not act, the complaint is forwarded to the registrar who manages the domain registration.
ICANN Processing:
- As a last resort, the complaint escalates to ICANN, the global authority responsible for domain name systems.
Each Processing status reflects where in the escalation path the complaint currently stands.
Removed
Removed means the infringing content has been taken down, or sufficiently altered to remove the infringement.
This status confirms that enforcement was successful.
Rejected
If a complaint is not accepted by the third party (registrant, hosting provider, registrar, or ICANN), the finding’s status becomes Rejected.
This means enforcement efforts for that finding have ended without a takedown.
On Hold
On Hold is used when a finding requires further internal review or additional information before proceeding.
It’s a temporary status that allows users to pause decision-making without moving the finding into full dismissal or enforcement.
Not Relevant
A finding marked as Not Relevant indicates that it does not actually violate the brand’s rights or does not match the intended search.
For example, if a finding mentions the search term but in an unrelated context, it can be classified as not relevant.
Authorized
Authorized means the content found is legitimate - for example, posted by an approved distributor, partner, or rights holder.
No enforcement action is needed for authorized findings.
Conclusion
Website findings go through a clear lifecycle to make the enforcement process structured and transparent. Starting from detection (Unhandled) through action (Initiated) and potential escalations (Processing), findings are eventually closed as either Removed or Rejected, or flagged internally as On Hold, Not Relevant, or Authorized.
Tracking and understanding these statuses ensures that your brand protection efforts remain organized, efficient, and effective.