The tool is rolling out to select partners Monday.
Facebook on Monday said it’s expanding its tools to help creators and publishers protect their intellectual property. Similar to its tools for managing video and music rights, Rights Manager for Images uses “image matching technology to help creators and publishers protect and manage their image content” across Facebook and Instagram, the company said in a blog post.
The tool is rolling out to select partners Monday, though it’s unclear exactly who this includes. The social network eventually plans to offer it to everyone, said a Facebook spokeswoman. People have to apply to use the Rights Manager tool, which is available in the social network’s Creator Studio.
The tool will let people and publishers do things like issue image takedown requests and use territorial blocks to restrict images in locations where they hold a copyright, reported The Verge. This could potentially have an impact on whether people are allowed to repost images on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook notes on its Rights Manager page that the tool is designed for people who have a “large or growing catalog of content.” The social network also noted in its blog post Monday that people can still use its other intellectual property tools to report individual infringements.
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