Claiming delayed live reference streams

A system and method for identifying unauthorized uploaded content that has been uploaded before a validated live reference stream has been ingested is disclosed herein. The live reference stream is compared against the indexed uploaded content repeatedly as the live reference stream is received. The matching process is done once per a time period until a match meeting a minimum match duration threshold is identified. The match is then determined to be unauthorized, and a claim is issued against the unauthorized uploaded content. The time period can be based on a utility based analysis that factors the computational costs of repeated matching versus the diminishing value of the live reference stream as time progresses.