The method is low on overhead and high on industry expertise. Buyers seeking to identify images can now email PACA, where a moderator will validate the request and broadcast it to PACA members and affiliates around the world.

Close to 150 member-agencies participated in testing. Specialty travel-and-nature shop Danita Delimont had previously come across the test image, and a Getty Images' researcher was able to locate it through keyword searches and intimate knowledge of the company's collection.

PACA executive director Cathy Aron plans to "get the word out to buyers that a reliable image creator identification service exists." Still, in the absence of definitive legislation, PACA cautions that an Orphan Search that does not yield a result may not constitute due diligence in the eyes of the law. PACA president Maria Kessler hopes for additional cooperative industry efforts toward identifying orphan works.