Make the licensing information for your images visible on Google Images
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Monday, August 31, 2020
For the last few years, we've collaborated with the image licensing industry to raise awareness
of licensing requirements for content found through Google Images. In 2018, we began supportingIPTC Image Rights metadata;
in February 2020 weannounceda new metadata framework through Schema.org and IPTC for licensable images. Since then, we've
seen widespread adoption of this new standard by websites, image platforms and agencies of all
sizes. Today, we're launching new features on Google Images which will highlight licensing
information for images, and make it easier for users to understand how to use images responsibly.
What is it?
Images that include licensing information will be labeled with a "Licensable" badge on the
results page. When a user opens the image viewer (the window that appears when they select an
image), we will show a link to the license details and/or terms page provided by the content
owner or licensor. If available, we'll also show an additional link that directs users to a page
from the content owner or licensor where the user can acquire the image.
We're also making it easier to find images with licensing metadata. We've enhanced the usage
rights drop-down menu in Google Images to support filtering for Creative Commons licenses, as
well as those that have commercial or other licenses.
What are the benefits to image licensors?
As noted earlier, if licensing metadata is provided from the image licensor, then the
licensable badge, license details page and image acquisition page will be surfaced in the
images viewer, making it easier for users to purchase or license the image from the licensor.
If an image resides on a page that isn't set up to let a user acquire it (for example, a portfolio,
article, or gallery page), image licensors can link to a new URL from Google Images which
takes the user directly to the page where they can purchase or license the image.
For image licensors, the metadata can also be applied by publishers who have purchased your
images, enabling your licensing details to be visible with your images when they're used by
your customers. (This requires your customers to not remove or alter the IPTC metadata that
you provide them).
We believe this is a step towards helping people better understand the nature of the content
they're looking at on Google Images and how they can use it responsibly.
To provide feedback on these features, please use the feedback tools available on the developer
page for the licensable images features, theGoogle Webmaster Forum, and stay
tuned for upcoming virtual office hours where we will review common questions.
What do image licensors say about these features?
"A collaboration between Google and CEPIC, which started some four years ago, has ensured that
authors and rights holders are identified on Google Images. Now, the last link of the chain,
determining which images are licensable, has been implemented thanks to our fruitful
collaboration with Google. We are thrilled at the window of opportunities that are opening up
for photography agencies and the wider image industry due to this collaboration. Thanks, Google." -Alfonso Gutierrez, President of CEPIC
"As a result of a multi-year collaboration between IPTC and Google, when an image containing
embedded IPTC Photo Metadata is re-used on a popular website, Google Images will now direct an
interested user back to the supplier of the image," said Michael Steidl, Lead of the IPTC
Photo Metadata Working Group. "This is a huge benefit for image suppliers and an incentive to
add IPTC metadata to image files." -Michael Steidl, Lead of the IPTC Photo Metadata Working Group
"Google's licensable image features are a great step forward in making it easier for users to
quickly identify and license visual content. Google has worked closely with DMLA and its
members during the features' development, sharing tools and details while simultaneously
gathering feedback and addressing our members' questions or concerns. We look forward to
continuing this collaboration as the features deploy globally." -Leslie Hughes, President of the Digital Media Licensing Association
"We live in a dynamic and changing media landscape where imagery is an integral component of
online storytelling and communication for more and more people. This means that it is crucial
that people understand the importance of licensing their images from proper sources for their
own protection, and to ensure the investment required to create these images continues. We are
hopeful Google's approach will bring more visibility to the intrinsic value of licensed images
and the rights required to use them." -Ken Mainardis, SVP, Content, Getty Images ∓ iStock by Getty Images
"With Google's licensable images features, users can now find high-quality images on Google
Images and more easily navigate to purchase or license images in accordance with the image
copyright. This is a significant milestone for the professional photography industry, in that
it's now easier for users to identify images that they can acquire safely and responsibly.
EyeEm was founded on the idea that technology will revolutionise the way companies find and
buy images. Hence, we were thrilled to participate in Google's licensable images project from
the very beginning, and are now more than excited to see these features being released." -Ramzi Rizk, Co-founder, EyeEm
"As the world's largest network of professional providers and users of digital images, we at
picturemaxx welcome Google's licensable images features. For our customers as creators and
rights managers, not only is the visibility in a search engine very important, but also the
display of copyright and licensing information. To take advantage of this feature, picturemaxx
will be making it possible for customers to provide their images for Google Images in the near
future. The developments are already under way." -Marcin Czyzewski, CTO, picturemaxx
"Google has consulted and collaborated closely with Alamy and other key figures in the photo
industry on this project. Licensable tags will reduce confusion for consumers and help inform
the wider public of the value of high quality creative and editorial images." -James Hall, Product Director, Alamy
"Google Images' new features help both image creators and image consumers by bringing
visibility to how creators' content can be licensed properly. We are pleased to have worked
closely with Google on this feature, by advocating for protections that result in fair
compensation for our global community of over 1 million contributors. In developing this
feature, Google has clearly demonstrated its commitment to supporting the content creation
ecosystem. -Paul Brennan, VP of Content Operations, Shutterstock
"Google Images' new licensable images features will provide expanded options for creative
teams to discover unique content. By establishing Google Images as a reliable way to identify
licensable content, Google will drive discovery opportunities for all agencies and independent
photographers, creating an efficient process to quickly find and acquire the most relevant,
licensable content." -Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter
Posted by Francois Spies, Product Manager, Google Images
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Images now highlights licensable images with a badge and provides links to license details and acquisition options, fostering responsible image use.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eImage licensors can benefit by providing licensing metadata, which enables Google Images to direct users to their licensing or purchase pages.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eEnhanced usage rights filters in Google Images allow users to easily find images with specific licenses, including Creative Commons.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCollaboration with industry stakeholders, like CEPIC and IPTC, ensures clear image attribution and licensing information.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThis initiative aims to educate users about image licensing and support the content creation ecosystem by connecting users with licensors.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Google Images launched new features to highlight image licensing information. Images with licensing details will display a \"Licensable\" badge and link to license terms and acquisition pages. Users can filter searches for Creative Commons, commercial, or other licenses. These updates benefit image licensors by increasing visibility, driving users to purchase options, and allowing publishers to share licensors' metadata. Google collaborated with industry partners and is offering developer support and feedback channels.\n"],null,["# Make the licensing information for your images visible on Google Images\n\nMonday, August 31, 2020\n\n\nFor the last few years, we've collaborated with the image licensing industry to raise awareness\nof licensing requirements for content found through Google Images. In 2018, we began supporting\n[IPTC Image Rights metadata](/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/image-license-metadata);\nin February 2020 we [announced](/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/image-license-metadata)\na new metadata framework through Schema.org and IPTC for licensable images. Since then, we've\nseen widespread adoption of this new standard by websites, image platforms and agencies of all\nsizes. Today, we're launching new features on Google Images which will highlight licensing\ninformation for images, and make it easier for users to understand how to use images responsibly.\n\nWhat is it?\n-----------\n\n\nImages that include licensing information will be labeled with a \"Licensable\" badge on the\nresults page. When a user opens the image viewer (the window that appears when they select an\nimage), we will show a link to the license details and/or terms page provided by the content\nowner or licensor. If available, we'll also show an additional link that directs users to a page\nfrom the content owner or licensor where the user can acquire the image.\n\n\nWe're also making it easier to find images with licensing metadata. We've enhanced the usage\nrights drop-down menu in Google Images to support filtering for Creative Commons licenses, as\nwell as those that have commercial or other licenses.\n\nWhat are the benefits to image licensors?\n-----------------------------------------\n\n- As noted earlier, if licensing metadata is provided from the image licensor, then the licensable badge, license details page and image acquisition page will be surfaced in the images viewer, making it easier for users to purchase or license the image from the licensor.\n- If an image resides on a page that isn't set up to let a user acquire it (for example, a portfolio, article, or gallery page), image licensors can link to a new URL from Google Images which takes the user directly to the page where they can purchase or license the image.\n- For image licensors, the metadata can also be applied by publishers who have purchased your images, enabling your licensing details to be visible with your images when they're used by your customers. (This requires your customers to not remove or alter the IPTC metadata that you provide them).\n\n\nWe believe this is a step towards helping people better understand the nature of the content\nthey're looking at on Google Images and how they can use it responsibly.\n\nHow do I participate?\n---------------------\n\n\nTo learn more about these features, how you can implement them and troubleshoot issues, visit\nthe [Google developer help page](/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/image-license-metadata)\nand our [common FAQs page](https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/31516792).\n\n\nTo provide feedback on these features, please use the feedback tools available on the developer\npage for the licensable images features, the\n[Google Webmaster Forum](https://support.google.com/webmasters/community), and stay\ntuned for upcoming virtual office hours where we will review common questions.\n\nWhat do image licensors say about these features?\n-------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\"A collaboration between Google and CEPIC, which started some four years ago, has ensured that\nauthors and rights holders are identified on Google Images. Now, the last link of the chain,\ndetermining which images are licensable, has been implemented thanks to our fruitful\ncollaboration with Google. We are thrilled at the window of opportunities that are opening up\nfor photography agencies and the wider image industry due to this collaboration. Thanks, Google.\"\n\n- **Alfonso Gutierrez, President of CEPIC**\n\n\n\"As a result of a multi-year collaboration between IPTC and Google, when an image containing\nembedded IPTC Photo Metadata is re-used on a popular website, Google Images will now direct an\ninterested user back to the supplier of the image,\" said Michael Steidl, Lead of the IPTC\nPhoto Metadata Working Group. \"This is a huge benefit for image suppliers and an incentive to\nadd IPTC metadata to image files.\"\n\n- **Michael Steidl, Lead of the IPTC Photo Metadata Working Group**\n\n\n\"Google's licensable image features are a great step forward in making it easier for users to\nquickly identify and license visual content. Google has worked closely with DMLA and its\nmembers during the features' development, sharing tools and details while simultaneously\ngathering feedback and addressing our members' questions or concerns. We look forward to\ncontinuing this collaboration as the features deploy globally.\"\n\n- **Leslie Hughes, President of the Digital Media Licensing Association**\n\n\n\"We live in a dynamic and changing media landscape where imagery is an integral component of\nonline storytelling and communication for more and more people. This means that it is crucial\nthat people understand the importance of licensing their images from proper sources for their\nown protection, and to ensure the investment required to create these images continues. We are\nhopeful Google's approach will bring more visibility to the intrinsic value of licensed images\nand the rights required to use them.\"\n\n- **Ken Mainardis, SVP, Content, Getty Images ∓ iStock by Getty Images**\n\n\n\"With Google's licensable images features, users can now find high-quality images on Google\nImages and more easily navigate to purchase or license images in accordance with the image\ncopyright. This is a significant milestone for the professional photography industry, in that\nit's now easier for users to identify images that they can acquire safely and responsibly.\nEyeEm was founded on the idea that technology will revolutionise the way companies find and\nbuy images. Hence, we were thrilled to participate in Google's licensable images project from\nthe very beginning, and are now more than excited to see these features being released.\"\n\n- **Ramzi Rizk, Co-founder, EyeEm**\n\n\n\"As the world's largest network of professional providers and users of digital images, we at\npicturemaxx welcome Google's licensable images features. For our customers as creators and\nrights managers, not only is the visibility in a search engine very important, but also the\ndisplay of copyright and licensing information. To take advantage of this feature, picturemaxx\nwill be making it possible for customers to provide their images for Google Images in the near\nfuture. The developments are already under way.\"\n\n- **Marcin Czyzewski, CTO, picturemaxx**\n\n\n\"Google has consulted and collaborated closely with Alamy and other key figures in the photo\nindustry on this project. Licensable tags will reduce confusion for consumers and help inform\nthe wider public of the value of high quality creative and editorial images.\"\n\n- **James Hall, Product Director, Alamy**\n\n\n\"Google Images' new features help both image creators and image consumers by bringing\nvisibility to how creators' content can be licensed properly. We are pleased to have worked\nclosely with Google on this feature, by advocating for protections that result in fair\ncompensation for our global community of over 1 million contributors. In developing this\nfeature, Google has clearly demonstrated its commitment to supporting the content creation\necosystem.\n\n- **Paul Brennan, VP of Content Operations, Shutterstock**\n\n\n\"Google Images' new licensable images features will provide expanded options for creative\nteams to discover unique content. By establishing Google Images as a reliable way to identify\nlicensable content, Google will drive discovery opportunities for all agencies and independent\nphotographers, creating an efficient process to quickly find and acquire the most relevant,\nlicensable content.\"\n\n- **Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter**\n\n\nPosted by Francois Spies, Product Manager, Google Images"]]
