Expressing machine-readable rights for the news industry. Upgrading W3C's CG ODRL and IPTC's RightsML to support XML, RDF and JSON; open source software to read and write RightsML and holding an in-depth workshop on how to publishers and customers really work with rights.

1. Rights Expression Working Group
Stuart Myles * Associated Press * 17th March 2015
© 2015 IPTC (www.iptc.org) All rights reserved
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2. The News Industry Needs
Machine Readable Rights
Increasing automation of workflows
Less opportunity for editors to read notes,
the traditional means of indicating restrictions and duties
Sophisticated publishing relationships
Fewer single purpose, static connections
More (need for) flexible, ad hoc uses of content which
respect rights
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3. RightsML
Founded on ODRL
Open Digital Rights Language
Selected by IPTC after evaluating several alternatives
http://www.w3.org/community/odrl/
RightsML is a news industry specific vocabulary
Plugs into ODRL framework
http://rightsml.org
http://dev.iptc.org/RightsML
Machine processable permissions, restrictions and duties
Derived from media industry requirements
Can be embedded within content or stand alone policies
Designed for all media types
Designed for automatic evaluation
© 2015 IPTC (www.iptc.org) All rights reserved

4. Driving Adoption
• Upgrade ODRL
– Simpler, more concise
– More formats than just XML
• Documentation
– ODRL documentation is focused on the standard itself
– Examples help illustrate what’s possible with RightsML
– Examples are easier to copy than reading the spec in detail
• Processing rights
– Need to explain automatic evaluation of contracts and policies
• Software development kits
– Software reuse is always easier than implementing from scratch
• Workshops on rights
– In depth, implementation focus
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5. ODRL 2.1 and RightsML 1.2
• More encodings of the ODRL Core Model
– JSON https://www.w3.org/community/odrl/json/2.1/
– XML https://www.w3.org/community/odrl/xml/2.1/
– RDF http://www.w3.org/ns/odrl/2/ODRL21
• Slimmed down Common Vocabulary
– https://www.w3.org/community/odrl/vocab/2.1/
• RightsML should be updated to have equivalent changes
– Change references from ODRL 2.0 to 2.1
– JSON and RDF encoding, in addition to current XML
– Leverage new “profile” property in ODRL Core Model
• PROPOSAL: Prepare RightsML 1.2 for approval in June
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6. RightsML Examples
• RightsML lets you convey many types of restriction
– Geography
– Time
– Distribution channel
– Default “read the editors’ notes”
– Action
– Duty to pay
– http://dev.iptc.org/RightsML-Examples-Simple-Cases
• And more than just one simple constraint
– Using the “simple” examples as building blocks
– http://dev.iptc.org/RightsML-10-Implementation-Examples
• Many licenses and policies are much more complex
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7. Processing Model
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http://dev.iptc.org/RightsML

8. Software Supporting ODRL
• licensed
– https://github.com/iptc/rightsml-dev/tree/master/licensed
– Python library
– Supports XML and JSON encodings
• rightsml-lib-js
– https://github.com/iptc/rightsml-dev/tree/master/rightsml-lib-js
– Javascript library
– Supports XML and JSON encodings
• odrlapi
– http://vroddon.github.io/odrlapi/
– Java library
– Supports RDF encoding
• w3odrl21
– https://github.com/xmljim/w3odrl21
– Java library
– Supports XML and JSON encodings
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9. Rights Workshop
• Introduction to the standards
• Experience reports on applying and leveraging rights
• Rights software demos
• Focus on images
• PROPOSAL: Organize image rights workshops
– Next IPTC face-to-face meeting
– Photo Metadata Conference
– Back-to-back in Warsaw, Poland
• If it goes well, could be reprised in other locations
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10. Next Steps
• Update RightsML documentation and specs
• Organize Rights Workshop
• http://dev.iptc.org/RightsML
• iptc-rightsml-dev@yahoogroups.com
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11. Date and Place of Next Meeting
Warsaw, Poland June, 2015
Thanks and Goodbye!
@smyles
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