Embedded Metadata with XMP

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/XMP

XMP (eXtensible Metadata Platform) facilitates embedding We also define a Creative Commons schema http://
metadata in files using a subset of RDF. Most notably XMP creativecommons.org/ns# whose common prefix is cc. It
supports embedding metadata in PDF and many image formats, currently has the following properties:
though it is designed to support nearly any file type.
license: The license URL; for example,
Creative Commons recommends XMP as the preferred format http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/.
for embedded metadata, given its support for numerous file
formats and the balkanized state of embedded metadata morePermissions: A URL where additional permissions
standards. Others are coming to a similar conclusion; Microsoft (commercial licensing, etc) are available. This URL should
has announced support for XMP in Vista applications1 and Jon typically be exposed in a “clickable” fashion, providing
Udell notes “There’s also good support in .NET Framework publishers with an opportunity to drive traffic back to the
3.0 for reading and writing XMP metadata.”2 Note that even originating site.
when embedded with XMP metadata, Creative Commons
recommends a licensed document include a visible copyright attributionURL: The URL to use when attributing this work.
notice. Format-specific recommendations for visible notices are
available in the Creative Commons wiki3 . attributionName: The creator’s preferred name to use when
attributing this work.
The Creative Commons licensing process offers a XMP template
as part of the license selection process which may be used to
mark files within XMP-supporting Adobe applications. Verification Links and XMP
A publisher can add boost confidence in embedded metadata by
providing a verifying web statement. A verifying web statement is
Specifying License Information a URL which contains metadata with assertions matching those
XMP defines a rights management schema4. Creative Commons embedded in the file. The difference is that instead of making the
sets the following properties: assertions about a URL, the assertions are made in reference to
the SHA-1 hash of the file.
xmpRights:Marked: Indicates this is a protected resource;
False if Public Domain, True otherwise. For example, the example web statement http://example.com/
pdf-metadata.html would include metadata encoded as RDFa.
xmpRights:WebStatement: The location of a web page
describing the owner and/or rights statement for this resource; <p>The document example.pdf is licensed
for example, http://example.com/pdf-metadata.html. Creative under a
Commons recommends this resource contain embedded, <a about=”urn:sha1:MSMBC5VEUDLTC26UT5W
machine-readable metadata. 7GZBAKZHCY2MD” rel=”license” href=”http://
creativecommons.org/license/by/3.0/”>
xmpRights:UsageTerms: An optional field describing legal Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
terms of use; Creative Commons recommends that when </a> license.
present this take the form: </p>

This work is licensed to the public When processing a file containing an embedded web statement,
under the Creative Commons Attribution- an application can retrieve the statement and parse it for
ShareAlike license http://creativecommons. additional metadata. If matching assertions are found which
org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ verify at http:// apply to the calculated SHA-1 hash of the file, the application can
example.com/pdf-metadata.html display an indicator noting increased confidence in the metadata.
This approach has the added benefit of taking advantage of an
(Replace URL following ‘verify at’ with URL containing existing mechanism (copyright take-down procedures) in order
metadata about the XMP-embedded file; this is typically the to break the confidence in the case of inappropriately licensed
URL specified by xmpRights:WebStatement.) material, thereby limiting liability.
 CC and CC+ Overview for the World Wide Web

References
[1] http://blogs.msdn.com/pix/
archive/2006/08/23/715340.aspx

[2] http://blog.jonudell.net/2007/02/14/
truth-files-microformats-and-xmp/

[3] http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Marking

[4] “XMP Specification (September 2005)”,

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