Silicon Valley, CA and CEPIC, Dublin – June 10, 2010 – Announcing at the worldwide CEPIC conference today, PicScout is making it free for digital images to be credited with ownership anywhere they appear. Introducing a no-fee fingerprinting and metadata registry participation in ImageIRC™ for use with ImageExchange™, PicScout with stock agencies and content creators can ensure that every image gets its proper credit. With today’s announcement, PicScout extends its role as creator of the de facto standard for image protection toward a new standard for global image recognition and promotion. By offering an easy-to-use tool at the point of every image encounter, PicScout enlarges and accelerates the image buyers market.

Today’s announcement also includes a special introductory promotion for stock agencies and individual photographers to use ImageExchange when they join ImageIRC during the month of June. ImageExchange automatically and directly connects a user from the point of image discovery to the licensor of that image.

PicScout is moving aggressively to fingerprint and give credit to every available digital image, which can ensure images are not classified as orphan images. PicScout has also created an agency-and-photographer-friendly pay-per-click model that includes direct links within the ImageExchange results box that provide one-click connections to license. Participating agencies will receive an allotment of free clicks each month – followed by a tiered pricing structure for additional clicks based upon the image’s licensing status: rights managed, royalty free and microstock images.

As part of the introductory pricing program, PicScout will provide an additional $1,000 or $500 in credits for those who contract by June 15 and June 30, respectively. This promotion enables all content creators to participate in a unique program without risk.

“PicScout aims at industry-wide adoption to credit every image on the Internet. We have made entry level image credit participation free to everyone and are confident that soon most images will have recognized credit and licensing connection through ImageIRC,” said Offir Gutelzon, PicScout CEO. “The pay-per-click model is used by leading stock agencies to drive leads through Keyword based advertising. PicScout has created an industry-customized, more affordable pay-per-click model that corresponds to specific images of interest to qualified image buyers. The modest investment sustains and even multiplies its value, since the image retains ownership recognition wherever it resides.”

ImageExchange users recognize images for sale, because they see an “i” icon every time they encounter ImageIRC images. One click reveals the creator’s name and the license type, and another connects them to license and use images immediately. Every registered ImageIRC image is always credited with the creator information wherever it appears. Also, leading image application sites are working with PicScout to embed image credit with every image at their sites or within the application platform.

Agencies, photographers, artists and image owners wanting to participate in ImageIRC for ImageExchange can register their images for credit and connection to license at: http://www.picscout.com.

The ImageExchange tool, always free to install, is available at: http://imageexchange.picscout.com/download.

About PicScout
Founded in 2002, PicScout™ is the information company commanding the world's largest index of fingerprinted and owner identified images, protecting and promoting images for use across digital platforms and devices through the company’s proprietary and highly scalable image recognition fingerprinting technology. The PicScout suite of products leverage the company’s ImageIRC™ platform, which includes ImageTracker™ and ImageExchange™products, the ImageQualification™ service, and an open API for developers to create products and services to meet the demands of clients engaged in digital image use.

A financially independent, privately held company, PicScout has offices in the Silicon Valley,Herzliya, Israel and Tokyo, Japan. PicScout is a member of PACA, CEPIC, and BAPLA.