How to Use DIRC

The DIRC program functions through a series of query pages, each of which directs the user to provide input about one specific aspect of a given image’s rights profile.

You can begin a query sequence at any time by clicking on a
Begin a new query link. The interactive program will then guide you through a series of questions addressing five variables:

1. The copyright status of the underlying work represented
in the image.

2. The copyright status of the photographic reproduction.

3. The specific source from which you have obtained the image under consideration.

4. Any terms of use or contract that may govern the uses
of this image.

5. The intended use(s) of this image.

Each page will prompt you to answer a question about the particular image you are assessing. Some questions require you to make a "YES" or "NO" response. Other questions provide a wide range of responses, from which you should select the one most appropriate to your situation. While DIRC is designed to allow only one response per question, you may at any time return to the previous query level by clicking on your browser’s back button if you wish to enter a different response without having to start the entire query sequence over again.

As the user advances to each new query level, the DIRC page will display a summary of the choices you have made in the preceding levels, and then will prompt you to answer the next question by clicking one of the response buttons directly below. If you need more information before choosing a response, you may scroll farther down the page to consult additional information sources. After reading through this supplemental section, or using any of the links within it, simply use your browser's back button to return to your position in the query sequence.

Each query sequence concludes by directing the user to a highlighted portion of a color-coded grid, which indicates an image's suitability for your desired use. Supplemental notes below the grid may draw your attention to other available options, or remind you of additional risk-assessment considerations.

Before using DIRC to assess the layers of rights in a given image, and to determine appropriate use parameters, the user should become familiar with the fundamental principles and terminology of copyright as these apply to images, and to the underlying works these images document. The first-time user may wish to read through the Principles and Definitions summary, which you may also access by clicking on the navigation bar link at the top of each query page. The user should also read carefully the DIRC Program’s Advisory Notice before acting on any decisions reached through the use of this program.

The DIRC Development Team

Click HERE to begin a new DIRC query.