Wires and syndication
Photo credit lines and embedded metadata
Short answer
- Standard
- IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2025.1, revision 1, dated 2025-11-26 1
- Credit Line
- Credit required by the supplier to be used when published 1
- Source (Supply Chain)
- A person or party with a role in the content supply chain, such as an agency 1
- US rule on removal
- 17 U.S.C. 1202(b) 2
- UK rule on removal
- CDPA 1988, section 296ZG 3
The main IPTC fields
The International Press Telecommunications Council publishes the Photo Metadata Standard. The version read is 2025.1, revision 1, dated 26 November 2025 1. Each property has a definition, a label and a mapping to XMP and to the older IIM format 1.
| Field | IPTC definition | What it tells a reader |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Recorded in IIM as By-line and in XMP as dc:creator 1 | Who made the image 1 |
| Credit Line | The credit to persons or organisations required by the supplier of the image to be used when published. Free text 1 | How the supplier wants the image credited 1 |
| Source (Supply Chain) | A person or party with a role in the content supply chain, such as an agency, a member of an agency or an individual. It could differ from the Creator and the Copyright Notice 1 | Which party passed the image on 1 |
| Copyright Notice | Any copyright notice needed to claim the intellectual property, identifying the current owner 1 | Who claims the rights 1 |
| Image Supplier | The most recent supplier of the image, not necessarily its owner or creator 1 | The last link in the chain 1 |
| Date Created | Added in version 1.0 in 2004. IIM datasets 2:55 and 2:60 should be merged into it 1 | When the image was made, not when it was sent 1 |
| Digital Source Type | Added in version 2021.1 and uses the Digital Source Type NewsCodes 1 | Whether the image was captured, edited or generated 4 |
Why the fields can disagree
IPTC notes that the Credit Line field was named Credit in IIM, renamed Provider in IPTC Core 1.0 and renamed Credit Line in IPTC Core 1.1, as many users used the field for that purpose 1. The Image Creator, Copyright Owner, Image Supplier and Licensor may be the same or different entities 1.
A wire photo can carry a staff photographer as Creator, the agency as Source and a credit line that combines both. A newspaper that reprints it may become the Image Supplier for a later user. Reading all the fields together shows the chain. Reading only the credit line can hide it.
Removing credits and metadata: the law
- United States. 17 U.S.C. 1202(b) says no person shall, without authority of the copyright owner or the law, intentionally remove or alter copyright management information, where the person knows or has reasonable grounds to know this will help to induce, enable or conceal infringement 2. The definition includes the title and the name of, and other identifying information about, the author 2. The section was added in 1998 2.
- United Kingdom. Section 296ZG of the CDPA applies where a person knowingly and without authority removes or alters electronic rights management information associated with a copy of a work, knowing or having reason to believe this is inducing, enabling or concealing infringement 3. Rights management information includes information identifying the work, the author and the copyright owner 3.
- California. From 1 January 2027, a large online platform must not, to the extent technically feasible, knowingly strip system provenance data or digital signatures that comply with widely adopted standards 5.
Data mining and AI fields
The 2025.1 standard includes a Data Mining property for prohibition or permission of data mining, optionally with constraints 1. IPTC notes that regional laws may overrule the value chosen, and that the absence of a prohibition does not mean the owner grants permission 1. The option prohibited except for search engine indexing prohibits other uses, such as AI and machine learning training 1.
How to use the fields when tracing an image
- Read Creator, Credit Line, Source and Copyright Notice together, not one alone 1.
- Compare Date Created with the date of the event the image claims to show 1.
- Check the Digital Source Type. The IPTC vocabulary uses digitalCapture for media captured from real life and trainedAlgorithmicMedia for media created by generative AI 4.
- Treat missing metadata with care. Fields can be stripped, which is why US and UK law addresses removal 2,3.
Common questions
Is the credit line the same as the photographer?
Not always. IPTC defines Credit Line as the credit required by the supplier, and records the Creator separately 1.
What does Source mean in photo metadata?
IPTC defines Source (Supply Chain) as a person or party with a role in the content supply chain, such as an agency, which could differ from the Creator 1.
Is it illegal to strip metadata from a photo?
In the US, intentionally removing copyright management information is barred where it would help conceal infringement 2. The UK has a similar rule 3.
Which IPTC version is current?
The specification read is version 2025.1 revision 1, dated 2025-11-26 1.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@evidencefamily.com.
Sources
- IPTC: IPTC Photo Metadata Standard 2025.1 (version 2025.1 rev 1, 2025-11-26)
- Cornell Law School LII: 17 U.S. Code § 1202, Integrity of copyright management information
- legislation.gov.uk: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 296ZG, Electronic rights management information
- IPTC: NewsCodes Scheme (Controlled Vocabulary), Digital Source Type
- California Legislative Information: Business and Professions Code, Division 8, Chapter 25, AI Transparency Act
Related
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- AI-generated content labelling laws
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- Wire services and syndication explained
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