image-rights-checker

Image Rights Checker

What This Skill Does

Reviews the details of a specific image and flags potential rights clearance issues before publication, identifying which permissions you likely need and which questions to bring to your legal or picture desk.

When To Use This Skill

• Before publishing a photograph, illustration, or archival image in any format (print, digital, broadcast, social media)
• When you are unsure whether a Creative Commons or public domain claim genuinely covers your intended use
• When sourcing images from third-party stock libraries, press agencies, or social media accounts
• When repurposing an image that was previously licensed for a different format or territory
• When an editor asks for a rights summary before sign-off

What You Need To Provide

Required:

• How you found or obtained the image (stock library, press agency, own photography, archive, social media, Creative Commons source, etc.)
• The license type or usage agreement you have, if any (e.g., "Getty editorial license", "CC BY 4.0", "no license — found on Instagram")
• Your intended use: publication format (web article, print magazine, broadcast, social media), territory, and whether the use is commercial or editorial
• Any known information about the image: who took it, when, whether identifiable people appear in it, whether it depicts private property or artworks

Optional:

• The specific publication or outlet name (helps assess territory and commercial context)
• Whether the image will appear in advertising or sponsored content
• Whether the subject of the image is a public figure or a private individual

How the Assistant Approaches This

1. Identifies the rights category of the image based on how it was sourced — stock license, agency wire, Creative Commons, public domain, social media, or unknown — and notes what protections and restrictions typically apply to each category.
2. Cross-checks your intended use against the known restrictions for that rights category: editorial vs. commercial use, territory limits, attribution requirements, model and property release requirements, and format restrictions (print vs. digital vs. broadcast).
3. Flags every point where your intended use may conflict with or exceed the likely rights coverage, and assigns each flag a risk level (Low / Medium / High) with a plain-English explanation of what the risk means in practice.
4. Lists the specific clearance steps — questions to ask, documents to obtain, or parties to contact — needed before the image is safe to publish.