This week, Google announced that they’ve started rolling out changes to Google Images. Specifically, you can now access rights-related image metadata in Google Images by clicking an ‘Image Credits’ link.
In collaboration with CEPIC and IPTC, Google is trying to make it easier for users to know the creator of images on the web, as well as the rightsholders.
Image Rights Metadata in Google Images
Starting on September 27, 2018 Google added Creator and Credit metadata whenever present to images on Google Images. To see this information on Google Images, you can click on the “Image Credits” link to view the metadata fields. Over the coming weeks, Google is also planning to add Copyright Notice metadata.
Photo: IPTC.org website
Google wrote that they ‘hope to create better usage guidance for photographers, photo agencies and publishers to include copyright and attribution information in image metadata’.
Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter, describes why this is a big step for Google Images:
“Employing IPTC metadata standards in Google Images results will help ensure proper attribution of credit and support photographers’ copyright, while also boosting the discoverability of content and creators. This is a win for the professional photo community.”
Google has been making improvements to Images over the years in an effort to protect photographers. Like when they removed the ‘View Image’ button.
CEPIC says ‘Google’s new development to show Author and Credit Line on Google Images is a very positive step forward for all visual content creators and their rightsholders’. CEPIC also shared that they: ‘look forward to working with Google on further improvements in order to promote and protect images online and reduce image piracy’.