Verify Identity and Ownership Scope — Verify Identity and Ownership Scope

When evaluating viral claims about a public figure, visual evidence like photographs often plays a key role in the narrative. Under copyright rules, the author and initial copyright owner of a photograph is generally the person who takes the photo.

A limited exception to this general ownership rule exists when a photograph is created as a work made for hire. Verifying the original creator of an image can help investigators identify the source and context of the visual evidence.