The latest tech gadget to be labeled a piracy patron is OffiSync, a plugin that ties Microsoft Office products such as Word and PowerPoint to Google Docs. OffiSync 2.0, released last week, has integrated Google Image Search, enabling users to easily find and insert images posted online into documents and presentations—to the chagrin of many a copyright owner.
OffiSync allows in-application searches of the Internet from inside Microsoft Word and inserting a desired image into the Word document with one click. The advanced search option offers image-sorting options by color, size and usage rights. (OffiSync supports similar find-and-insert functionality for textual content; TechCrunch has a more detailed report.)
Some observers see OffiSync making online image theft easier. Yet the plugin actually goes to much greater lengths than Google Image Search itself to bring issues of copyright to users’ attention. In addition to helping locate available rights information, OffiSync warns users that the content they are about to appropriate may be subject to copyright restrictions. As users attempt to insert images into documents, the plug-in displays a warning pop-up, though it does not automatically generate a bibliographic or attribution note for the content or help locate content owners.
The proliferation of the plugin—some 50,000 downloads in its first month, before introducing image search—certainly highlights the importance of including ownership and contact metadata into images made available online. It also points to the growing importance of services that help locate content owners, some of which are currently in development.