Creative Commons Metadata and XMP

XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) facilitates embedding metadata in files using a subset of RDF. Most notably XMP supports embedding metadata in PDF and many image formats, though it is designed to support nearly any file type.

The Creative Commons licensing process offers a XMP template which may be used to mark files within XMP-supporting Adobe applications (step-by-step how-to document).

LaTeX users may use the pdflatex macro.

Note on Visible Copyright Notice in PDFs

Even when embedded with XMP metadata a licensed PDF document should include a visible copyright notice as described in how to tag works.

XMP Rights Management Schema

XMP defines a rights management schema (see section 4.2.5). Creative Commons sets the following properties (example values):

xapRights:Copyright — This work is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ (Replace 'Attribution-ShareAlike' and license URL with relevant pretty name and URL for chosen license.)

xapRights:Marked — False if Public Domain, True otherwise.

xapRights:WebStatement — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ (Replace with relevant license URL.)

We also set cc:license for compatibility with other CC RDF applications and to maintain a direct reference to the license URL when xapRights:WebStatement references an intermediate page (see Advanced Usage below).

cc:license — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ (Replace with relevant license URL.)

Advanced Usage

If a page with metadata describing the work with embedded XMP and its license status is available, the value of xapRights:Copyright and xapRights:WebStatement may be extended and modified as follows:

xapRights:Copyright — This work is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ verify at http://example.com/pdf-metadata.html (Replace URL following 'verify at' with URL containing metadata about the XMP-embedded file.)

xapRights:WebStatement — http://example.com/pdf-metadata.html (Replace with URL containing metadata about the XMP-embedded file.)

The XMP logo is either a registered trademark or tradmark of the Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.