Beazley vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Media Liability Insurance?

Unless the declarations list a separate amount, the media liability insuring agreement in the sample form shares the same Policy Aggregate Limit of Liability with the policy's technology, professional and cyber coverages rather than carrying its own dedicated limit. ³Company-reported. Sample policy form F00731, 022019 edition, Limit of Liability and Coverage section; actual sublimits depend on what is purchased and shown on the declarations.

Founder Shield offers an optional targeted-hack extension that it says pays up to $500 per day if a creator's social channel is locked out, deleted or suspended. Overall policy limits are not published and are set on the quote. ⁴Company-reported. Content Creator Insurance product page.

Beazley says small and midsize MediaTech business, including its media liability component, is placed through third-party placement platforms or by email, with automated processing rather than a direct-to-consumer purchase flow. ¹Company-reported. MediaTech product page SME placement paragraph; describes the stated distribution channel only.

You request Founder Shield Content Creator Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^5,6Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

The sample MediaTech form's Media Wrongful Act trigger lists defamation, invasion of privacy, false arrest, trespass, plagiarism and copyright infringement, trademark and trade-dress infringement (including cybersquatting), misappropriation of a trade secret, and negligent content, arising from the insured's Media Activities, Professional Services or Tech Services. ³Company-reported. Sample policy form F00731, 022019 edition, Media Wrongful Act definition; the issued policy's wording and any endorsements control.

Unfair competition claims under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act are covered only when alleged together with, and arising out of, one of the form's listed trademark, trade-dress, domain-name or copyright allegations, not as a freestanding unfair-competition claim. ³Company-reported. Sample policy form F00731, 022019 edition, Media Wrongful Act definition, item 11.

The sample form excludes claims for licensing-fee or royalty obligations and claims brought by intellectual-property licensing bodies, as well as costs to reprint, repost, recall or remove Media Material, though it does cover resulting loss of use of that material. ³Company-reported. Sample policy form F00731, 022019 edition, Licensing Bodies & Joint Ventures and Recall exclusions.

Founder Shield lists defamation, personal and advertising injury, FTC investigation and defense costs tied to sponsored-content disclosure rules, and user-generated-content contractual liability from brand promotions as what the policy covers. ⁴Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

Beazley sells media liability coverage bundled inside MediaTech, a single small-business form that also includes technology E&O, professional E&O and cyber coverage. It is not sold as a standalone media liability policy for this segment. ¹Company-reported. US small-business MediaTech product page; does not address any larger-account media liability program Beazley may write separately.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Content Creator Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ⁵Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Founder Shield says the policy is distinct from traditional media liability coverage because the named insured can be the individual creator directly, rather than requiring the creator to form an LLC first. ⁴Company-reported. Content Creator Insurance product page; supplements the general brokerage role claim for this line.

Beazley's posted Digital MediaTech Application names Beazley Insurance Company, Inc. as the insurer on its cover page. The actual issuing entity for a given policy is confirmed on the quote and declarations, not the blank application. ²Company-reported. Application form F00859, 042022 edition; not a regulator record and not evidence of the entity for every state or route.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Content Creator Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. ⁶Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.