The launch of Orphan Search, a service offered by Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) to assist buyers in finding the creator of an image lacking copyright information, was quite a success. The first live test proved the process to be remarkably efficient. Nearly 150 PACA member stock agencies, photographers and affiliate associations throughout the world participated in the first official request. With help from a couple key contributors, Orphan uncovered the rightful owner of an image in less than 60 minutes.
“We are thrilled that our first search worked so well,” said Cathy Aron, PACA Executive Director. “Now we need to get the word out to art buyers that a reliable image creator identification service exists!”
PACA staff circulated a request from a graphic designer within the travel industry. The inquiry was to identify the creator or any find copyright information for an internally archived image being used in a brochure. Within one hour the image creator was identified by two different types of agencies.
Danita Delimont, a specialty agency, remembered having originally edited the image for a collection nearly seven years ago. A researcher from worldwide agency, Getty Images, located the rightful creator by using a combination of keyword search expertise and collection knowledge.
PACA developed Orphan Search to connect buyers seeking to use an orphaned image with rights holders. An “Orphan Work” image refers to copyrighted material whose owner cannot be identified or located by someone who wants to use the work in such a way that it requires permission. Orphan Search has benefits of a completely automated solution with limited overhead. This low-tech solution leverages existing technologies and is convenient for buyers.
When a buyer has an image without copyright information, they simply email a copy of the Orphan Work to or**********@********ce.org. The email is validated by the moderator (a PACA staff member) and automatically sent out to all PACA members and affiliated associations. As a disclaimer, if an Orphan Search does not result in a match it does not mean that a “diligent search” has been completed. There may be additional sources of information that should be checked before it is legal to use the work in question.
“Aligned with our mission to advocate copyrights, PACA is proud to be a leader in efforts to identify authors of orphaned images,” PACA President, Maria Kessler said. “While we are supporting a rudimentary effort in our initial Orphan Search, we look forward to additional cooperative efforts in our industry to forge ahead with better solutions.”
PACA is the trade organization in North America that represents the vital interests of stock archives of every size, from individual photographers to large corporations, who license images for commercial reproduction. Founded in 1951, its membership includes over 100 companies in North America and over 50 international members.
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This article was last modified on January 5, 2023
This article was first published on June 4, 2008
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