The useful result
Run a six-point rights and labelling check on one image before publishing it.
- Run a six-point rights and labelling check on one image before publishing it.
Creators sell AI images on prints, mugs and stock sites without checking who owns what. The answer depends on the tool’s terms for your plan, what is in the picture, and the rules of the place you post. The U.S. Copyright Office has published a report on the copyrightability of generative AI outputs, which shows this area is still being worked out.
This lesson is a checklist for catching the common problems. It is not legal advice; for a product with real money behind it, ask a qualified professional.
The examples below are illustrative exercises, not recorded results from any tool. Sources were checked on 24 October 2026; menus, limits and prices change, so confirm details on the linked pages.
Before you start
- One AI image you want to use
- Access to the terms of the tool and plan you used
- The rules page of the platform where you will post
Review evidence
Documentation-based review · 2026-10-24
Primary documentation and official guidance checked on 24 October 2026. Examples, checks and exercises are original illustrations, not recorded tool tests. Cover artwork is a conceptual illustration.
Read the terms for your plan, not the marketing page
Find the tool’s current terms for your plan and note what they say about commercial use, ownership of outputs, attribution and restricted uses. Paste the key lines and the date into a note. Free and paid plans can differ, and terms change.
Check your result
You have a dated note stating, in the tool’s own words, whether commercial use is allowed on your plan.
Inspect the picture for people, brands and borrowed styles
Look for recognisable real people, logos, brand packaging, famous characters and text that copies a known slogan. Check your prompt for the names of living artists or brands, because copying a particular creator’s look can cause trouble even when the file is yours. Regenerate without them.
List anything in this image description that might be a real person, a brand, a logo, a famous character or a protected design: [paste your prompt and a one-line description of the result]. Do not rewrite it, only list items to check.Example / expected result
Illustrative example; not a recorded model result.
“Possible issues: the mug design resembles a known cartoon mascot; the prompt names a living illustrator.”
Check your result
No real person’s likeness, brand mark or protected character appears in the image or the prompt.
Check labelling rules where you will post
Read the platform’s policy for AI-generated images. Some require a label or disclosure, and for product feeds Google says Merchant Center needs IPTC DigitalSourceType metadata on AI-generated images and a label on AI-generated titles and descriptions. Keep a copy of your prompt and settings as a record of how the image was made.
Check your result
You know whether your platform requires a label or metadata and you have added it.
When it goes wrong
Ownership of an AI-only image is not guaranteed in every country, so do not promise a customer exclusive rights. A tool’s terms may restrict certain uses even when commercial use is allowed. Platforms update their policies, so recheck before each new listing.
Make it your own
Take one AI image you made, fill in all three steps in a note, and decide “publish”, “change” or “do not use”. Write down which check decided it.
Useful next resources
Sources and review
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
- Google Search Central: using generative AI content
Last checked Oct 24, 2026. Features and account limits can change. Verify important results against your original material.
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