ImageIRC™ FAQ
- What is the ImageIRC?
- What does the ImageIRC do?
- What products or services use the ImageIRC?
- How can my images be part of the ImageIRC?
- What will happen if an image is submitted and claimed by multiple owners?
- If I upload an image to the ImageIRC, do I have to make that image available to all PicScout products?
- How much does ImageIRC for use with ImageExchange cost?
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ImageIRC stands for index, registry and connection. It is PicScout's repository for image information and the foundational platform for PicScout products and services. ImageIRC provides a wide variety of solutions involving image protection, ownership, identification, commerce, as well as business intelligence.
ImageIRC combines an index of fingerprint information that uniquely identifies each image, a registry of metadata about each image, and an API connection that provides access to the ImageIRC for various products and services.
ImageIRC "fingerprints" images using an advanced image recognition algorithm that identifies unique patterns within the image. Unlike a watermark, this image fingerprint is derived from the image, and therefore cannot be erased, modified or edited. Therefore, the image fingerprint allows PicScout to identify images wherever they appear on the Internet, even if the image has been altered, colorized, edited, cropped, rotated or embedded into another image.
Each image fingerprint is associated with its unique metadata, which the image rights owner supplies along with the image. This metadata can include image owner, licensor, license type, landing page, and other important information or marketing and promotional information.
The company's first product, ImageTracker, uses the ImageIRC technology. Launched in 2003, ImageTracker is based on proprietary PicScout image fingerprinting technology that allows any image to be identified even if it has been altered. ImageTracker has been widely adopted by image owners and licensors across the industry. ImageTracker has successfully identified potential cases of infringement for PicScout customers for nearly a decade. Equipped with the information, customers can act to regain revenues due to them by pursuing infringement charges.
ImageExchange is another product that utilizes the ImageIRC platform. ImageExchange helps to minimize illegitimate image use by providing the image user a direct connection to the rights owner so images can be licensed immediately. With ImageExchange, image buyers and users are able to see ownership and available rights for image use as soon as they find the image online. ImageExchange, currently in beta trials, is a free browser add-on currently for Firefox and Internet Explorer. You can download the beta version for Firefox here, and for Internet Explorer in April.
PicScout's ImageQ Center also uses ImageIRC to meet the needs of corporate clients who seek to validate image use and authorization within their company, on their public sites and for their promotional materials. The service provides standard and custom platforms to validate current databases of images to determine image ownership allowing clients to enforce copyright responsibility and manage liability.
Third-party application developers also use the platform to create customized products and services that meet the needs of image users.
You can join the ImageIRC online now. Please go to Join ImageIRC for more information about how to include your images in the ImageIRC. If your images are represented by a stock agency, ask them if they are a client of PicScout. If you are an individual photographer, you can include your images in the ImageIRC platform for use with the ImageExchange product through a relationship with PicScout or with PhotoShelter. If you want to join ImageIRC for use with ImageTracker, you can do it through PicScout upon approval or through ImageSpan.
Any image uploaded to the ImageIRC will be matched against all existing entries in the index. In case a match is found with no consistency of image owner details, a notification will be sent out to all parties claiming rights ownership to that image, and the image will be placed in pending mode until ownership issues are resolved.
- If I upload an image to the ImageIRC, do I have to make that image available to all PicScout products?
No. The rights owner can specify which PicScout products they want to access a specific image. For instance, a specific image may be accessed by ImageTracker, but not by ImageExchange or vice versus.
You can view ImageExchange pricing info here.