PicScout: solution to MILE Orphan Works Database mission

Joined: 06 Oct 2008 Posts: 1

Copyrights dilemmas and legal implications
The internet is a primary tool for art and media buyers to locate and purchase images. In order to remain competitive, Image Libraries began providing easy access to their images via the internet which in turn exposed them to a global digital piracy. The agencies have spent many efforts on copyright notification, password log-ins and even watermark protection, but proven to be insufficient prevention and controlling methods. Although many countries have attempted to address the issue, image copyright is still very poor and is only starting to be noticed with the Orphan Works legislations and activities in the USA and Europe.
There are legal and commercial implications for both art buyers and asset owners when it comes to copyright protection. Art buyers may not be aware of copyrights, nonetheless they are still vulnerable to both lawsuits and missed business opportunities, as their customers do not want such exposure. Asset owners have just as much to lose when their images are being used carelessly. Each unnoted usage means a decreased image value (especially for RM photos), a loss of potential revenue from unaware infringers, various legal battles, and ultimately a greater expense and a lower revenue stream.

The importance of the MILE Orphan Works Database is clear. With a centralized database of images, both art buyers and content owners will be able to control and protect copyrights better. Owners will upload their images, and receive credit for their work, while buyers will be able to quickly track the owner and purchase the image without any commercial or legal vulnerability. There is a technological method in place to improve and expand this solution, PicScout’s Tracker Clearance Solution ™.

PicScout - experienced solution provider
PicScout is the leading technology services provider to the digital content industry. For years, the company’s flagship Image Tracker™ monitored visual content across all media, while reporting to our customers the thousands of commercial infringement cases each month.
In the past five years PicScout has worked with the world’s stock photography industry, and enabled all the leading stock agencies and image banks to proactively enforce copyrights of their valued materials, through tracking the image usage. This established relationship enabled PicScout to track the use of millions of digital files stored in our massive centralized database. While tracking the image usage, we found a repetitive and harsh statistic of over 90% of images online being used without proper licensing. This percentage was repeated in all territories including North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

On March 13, 2008, PicScout was the only technology company chosen to testify before the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property at a hearing on Orphan Works Legislation, and provide information on how the image recognition software, Tracker Clearance Solution™, can be used to identify the original owner of copyrighted files that exist without any attribution or relevant metadata.

The Tracker Clearance Solution ™ is a quick and efficient method of visual search that replaces the need to search by keyword in order to identify the image. Stock agencies will be encouraged to upload all of their images into a centralized database. The database will then be available to any art buyer (i.e. graphic designers), who will perform a simple search by uploading the potential orphan work and letting the online software find a match. In the case of such match, the buyer will then be able to contact / acquire the image directly from the owner, while fully abiding by all copyright laws.

The Tracker Clearance Solution ™ is web based, easy to use, and built for any user regardless of their computer knowledge background. It is aimed to contain a massive, secured database of innumerable digital fingerprints and their ownership information, and a robust image recognition comparison engine. When a user uploads a potential orphan work to the system, it is compared to the full list of digital assets within the database of stored files and instantly provides an accurate result. Regardless of the changes done to the original image, cropping, coloring, flipping or more, PicScout’s Tracker Clearance solution can find it.
PicScout solution is built in a way that will encourage all parties to take advantage of its capabilities. Image Libraries will actively protect their assets, increase revenues and customer database. Art buyers will eliminate all legal copyright liability, and have better access to the type of images they wish to use. The Tracker Clearance Solution™ eliminates any vulnerability, regains the user’s control and delivers a financial gain to the content owners.

Images provided by Getty Image