EXIF + OCR

Image Metadata API That Finds the Copyright Owner for You

Rights holders leave their name in two places: the file's EXIF fields and the visible text in the image. These two endpoints read both and hand back the copyright holder directly, so you do not have to parse raw tags yourself.

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Request

curl -X POST https://app.picdefense.io/api/v2/exif \
  -H "X-API-TOKEN: USERID:APIKEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg"}'

Response

{
  "status": 1,
  "message": "succeeded",
  "data": {
    "exif": {
      "exif_copyrighted": true,
      "exif_copyrightHolder": "Copyright © 2023 John Smith",
      "image": {
        "_exif": {
          "tags": {
            "Artist": "John Smith",
            "Make": "Canon",
            "Model": "Canon EOS R5",
            "Software": "Adobe Photoshop 2023"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Pay Per Call. No Subscription.

Buy prepaid credits once and spend them on any PicDefense endpoint.

Endpoint	Credits / call	Per 1,000 calls
`POST /exif` EXIF metadata with copyright flag and copyright holder.	0.03	$2.10 – $6.00
`POST /text` OCR of visible text, such as credit lines and copyright notices.	0.03	$2.10 – $6.00

Ranges run from the 100,000-credit pack down to the 100-credit pack. Credits are charged only on successful calls and never expire. See all credit packs on the pricing page.

What It Detects

Copyright and Artist Fields

Returns the copyright holder as a ready-to-use string plus a boolean flag for quick filtering.

Camera and Software Trail

Make, model, and editing software help tell a professional shoot from a phone snap or a stock download.

Embedded Descriptions

Stock agencies often leave keyword-rich ImageDescription fields that point back to the original listing.

Visible Credit Lines

OCR reads © notices, photographer credits, and agency names printed on the image, even after metadata is stripped.

Built for These Workflows

Where teams wire this endpoint into their pipelines.

Attribution at Upload

Prefill the credit field in your CMS or DAM with the rights holder found in the file.

Flag Third-Party Files

If exif_copyrightHolder names someone outside your company, route the image for license verification.

Searchable Image Text

Index the text inside banners, screenshots, and infographics so editors can search for it.

Evidence Collection

Capture the metadata and visible notices on a disputed image as part of a claim response file.

What You Get Back

Each endpoint is a separate call with its own response. Every response includes status, message, error, and a data object. These are the fields inside data.

POST /exif

EXIF metadata with copyright flag and copyright holder.

Field	Type	Description
exif.exif_copyrighted	boolean	True when EXIF contains a copyright notice.
exif.exif_copyrightHolder	string	The copyright string as written in the file.
exif.image._exif.tags	object	Raw tags including Artist, Copyright, Make, Model, Software, CreateDate, and ImageDescription.
exif.image.bitmap	object	Image width and height in pixels.

POST /text

OCR of visible text, such as credit lines and copyright notices.

Field	Type	Description
text.detected	boolean	Whether any visible text was found.
text.fullText	string	All extracted text, whitespace-collapsed, up to 10,000 characters.
text.words	string[]	Individual detected words, up to 1,000 entries.
text.truncated	boolean	True when fullText or words hit their cap.

Why Teams Choose the PicDefense Copyright Metadata API

Copyright Answer, Not Just Tags

exif_copyrighted and exif_copyrightHolder save you from writing tag-parsing logic for every camera vendor.

Two Sources of Truth

EXIF can be stripped and pixels can be cropped. Checking both catches more rights holders than either alone.

URL In, JSON Out

No file uploads or SDK. Send a public image URL and get structured JSON back.

Low Cost per Check

Each endpoint uses 0.03 credits, so you can run both on every image for a fraction of a cent.

Prefer a Dashboard?

Once you know who owns an image, store the license, receipt, and correspondence against it in the PicDefense Proof Vault.

Explore the Proof Vault

Use It From an AI Agent

Every endpoint is also exposed as a tool on the hosted PicDefense MCP server. Connect Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with your existing API token.

https://mcp.picdefense.io/mcpMCP setup guide

Pairs Well With

One API key and one credit balance cover every endpoint.

Watermark Detection API

Detect visible stock and photographer watermarks and learn which agency they belong to.

Learn more

Copyright Risk Check API

One call returns a high/medium/low copyright risk verdict plus the evidence behind it.

Learn more

Image Recognition API

Faces, logos, landmarks, labels, and content safety, organized around what needs a release.

Learn more

See every PicDefense API endpoint

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the image has no EXIF data?

Many websites and social platforms strip metadata. In that case exif_copyrighted is false, and the /text endpoint or the Watermark Detection API are the next places to look for a rights holder.

Does the API return GPS location?

The response includes the EXIF tags present in the file. If the file still carries GPS tags they appear in the tag set, but most web images have had them removed.

Is an EXIF copyright notice proof of ownership?

No. EXIF fields can be edited by anyone. Treat them as a strong lead on the rights holder, then confirm through a license or the original source.

How long can the OCR text be?

fullText is capped at 10,000 characters and words at 1,000 entries. The truncated flag tells you when either cap was reached.

Start Calling the Copyright Metadata API Today

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PicDefense API results are automated, probabilistic signals intended to support your own review. They do not constitute legal advice and do not guarantee that an image is free of third-party rights. Consult a qualified attorney for decisions about copyright, trademark, or publicity rights.