Why 'More Data' is Actually a Risk (and Your Account is Live)

At Courtlist, we have a simple philosophy:

Be the most honest teachers in the risk intelligence space.

Most tools in our industry promise "more data" as if volume alone equals safety.

We disagree.

We believe that more data without a governed plan is just a liability.

This is why we’ve rebuilt Courtlist around Governed Visibility—giving enterprise risk leaders the right signal, at the right moment, with a decision trail that actually holds up under scrutiny.

As we open the doors to our newest members today, I want to be direct about how we are evolving to solve the "Tainted Knowledge Problem"—the risk of knowing something you can't "un-know" without having a defensible way to act on it.

1. The Retirement of the "Basic Plan"

We realized the old Basic Plan doesn't serve our mission to provide high-level, defensible intelligence. It is officially being replaced by the Free Starter Plan.

• What’s included: The new plan is packed with more features suitable for small businesses or those needing foundational access.
• The Grace Period: If you are currently on the Basic Plan, you are grandfathered in for 90 days. We will email you reminders on how to transition, or you can self-service your upgrade now.
• The Alternative: After 90 days, you can choose the Free Starter tier or continue using the limited, anonymous version we have maintained since 2017.

[Check the new pricing breakdown here.]

2. Why We Say "No" to Gmail and Outlook

To unlock the Free Starter Plan, you now need a verified business, government, or university email address (e.g., name@yourfirm.com.au).

I know this feels like a hurdle, but here is the honest reason:

Integrity.

Anonymous email addresses make it too easy for bots and scrapers to cloud our data. By requiring a professional email, we ensure our users are real professionals—credit teams, risk managers, and legal pros. This protects the quality of the platform for everyone using it legitimately.

3. Paid Plans & the "Founding Member" Opportunity

We are currently in a heavy testing phase for our Professional and Enterprise plans.

• The Launch Deal: In the coming weeks, we will release heavily discounted "Founding Member" versions. [Express your interest here.]
• The Guarantee: If you register for the paid waitlist now, you are guaranteed our launch pricing for the next 12 months once we go live.
• The 21-Day Trial: Register before we launch Version 2.1 to receive a 21-day full-access trial of the Professional and Enterprise (Small) plans. For larger organizations, we will grant access to the Enterprise (Small) portal to get you started while we customize data to your specific needs.

4. The Evolution of "Digital Mark J Smith"

Keep an eye on the bottom right corner of your screen next week. As part of the v2.1 rollout, our chatbot, Digital Mark J Smith, is undergoing massive training.

We are teaching him to understand the Defensible Risk Loop and the nuances of our proprietary QLEI scoring architecture - coming in v2.1 beta.

You will notice a significant leap in how he assists you with complex risk use cases starting next week.

5. Is Courtlist Still Right for You?

To save you time, I’ll be blunt.

• We ARE a fit for: Professionals who need to see litigation exposure before it’s too late to act—so your decisions stay defensible.
• We ARE NOT a fit for: One-off personal background checks or high-volume data scraping. If that is your goal, our tool will likely frustrate you.
  

How to Get Started

1. Verify your email: Look for a message from support@courtlist.com.au. You must click that link to activate. If you can't find it, email me personally at mark@markjsmith.com.
2. Watch the Roadmap: We are aiming to drop Version 2.1 very soon (hopefully as early as next week). [See the progress here.]
3. Request a Deep-Dive: If you are an enterprise leader who wants to "see under the hood" of v2.1 and discuss specific governance use cases, [book a Teams meeting here]. We’ll do a deep dive into the architecture together.
4. Know the Rules: Transparency goes both ways. You can find our full Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in the footer of every page. Please review them so you understand how we protect the platform and your data.

If you find a bug or have a feature request, I'm listening at mark@markjsmith.com.

Talk soon,

Mark Smith Founder, Courtlist.com.au