Avoiding Unsupported Inferences — Avoiding Unsupported Inferences

To maintain high editorial standards, avoid making unsupported assumptions about a photograph's status or eligibility. For example, although most photographs are protected by copyright, the Copyright Office will not register images that lack a sufficient amount of creative expression.

Additionally, the public display of a photograph does not automatically mean it has been published under copyright law. Verifying these legal distinctions prevents incorrect claims about a photograph's registration or publication status.