How to check who owns a photo

What a file can tell you

Before you use a photo you found, it is worth asking what the file says about itself. Many photos carry some of these fields:

• a copyright notice, naming the owner;
• a creator, naming the photographer;
• a credit line, saying how to credit the image;
• a web statement and usage terms, saying where to ask and what is allowed;
• a copyright status, marking the photo as copyrighted or public domain.

Each can appear in up to three layers: EXIF, IPTC and XMP.

How to read the fields

Pick whichever tool is nearest:

• In a browser: the copyright checker reads JPEG, HEIC, PNG and TIFF files on your own computer and uploads nothing. It lists every field by layer.
• On an iPhone, iPad or Mac: Copyright Info, in the share sheet once Copyrighted is installed, shows who a photo says it belongs to, with the layer detail one tap away. It never changes the photo.
• On the command line: exiftool -Copyright -Artist -IPTC:All -XMP-dc:All -XMP-xmpRights:All photo.jpg prints the relevant fields.

Reading the result

You will get one of three answers:

• Blank: no notice and no creator in any layer. The file says nothing about who made it.
• Consistent: every layer that carries a field agrees. The file tells one story.
• Conflicting: the layers disagree. EXIF may name one owner and IPTC another. Treat both names as leads, and read why layers disagree.

Look at the creator and the owner separately. A photo can be taken by one person and owned by another, such as an employer or an agency.

Also look at the copyright status. If the file marks itself as public domain, check that the notice agrees. A public-domain flag on a photo that names an owner is a sign that the metadata was filled carelessly, and it doesn't settle the question on its own.

What metadata can't tell you

Metadata is a statement, and it can be wrong. Keep these limits in mind:

• It can be edited by anyone. Nothing stops a person from writing any name into a file.
• It can be stale. Rights may have been sold or licensed since the notice was written.
• It is often stripped. Many websites and messaging services remove metadata. A blank photo can be a stripped copy of someone's work.
• It isn't proof. A notice is a claim of ownership, and settling a real dispute takes more than a claim.

Above all, blank doesn't mean free to use. In most countries a photo is protected by copyright from the moment it is taken, whether or not it says so.

Other clues worth checking

• A reverse image search often finds earlier, larger copies with a credit or a source.
• The page where you found it may credit the photographer or state a licence.
• Camera data, such as the camera model and capture date, can help match a photo to its original.
• A web statement in the file, if there is one, is the owner's own pointer to their licensing page.

Checking many photos at once

Checking one photo is quick. Checking a folder of downloads, a client delivery or a whole archive calls for something that works in bulk.

• The checker accepts several files at once, gives each its own result, and lets you download a plain-text report of all of them.
• For a whole library, the Copyrighted app scans every photo and sorts them into four groups: Matches you, Third-party, Blank and Conflicting. The Third-party group gathers every photo that names someone else, so you can review them before using any.

Bulk checks catch patterns a single check misses, such as a batch of downloads that all carry the same agency's notice, or a folder of your own photos still carrying an old studio's name.

What to do next

If the file names an owner, contact them and ask for a licence, in writing, covering the use you have in mind. If it names an agency, its licensing pages are usually the fastest route. If you can't find an owner, the safer choice is to use a different photo, or one you know you can use, such as your own or one under a licence you have read.

This guide explains what metadata says. It isn't legal advice. For a question about a particular use, ask a lawyer where you live.

Keep a record of what you found and when: a copy of the file, the checker's report and your correspondence with the owner. If a question comes up later, you will know what the photo said when you received it.

Step by step

1. Open the free copyright checker in your browser.
2. Choose or drop the photo you want to check.
3. Read the notice, creator and credit in each layer.
4. Check whether the layers agree, disagree or are blank.
5. Follow the web statement, or contact the named owner.
6. Get permission in writing before you use the photo.

Questions