Pinpointing Publication Dates and Captions — Pinpointing Publication Dates and Captions

S. Copyright Office, a photograph is legally published when copies are distributed to the public for the first time. It is also considered published if copies are offered to a group of people for further distribution or public display.

However, the public display of a photograph, on its own, does not constitute publication. The copyright owner of the photograph is the one who determines if, when, where, and how the work should be published.