If your content was rejected as “Non-Licensable Content,” it is because we cannot license this content in our collection due to legal compliance restrictions. This type of restricted content cannot be published for either commercial or editorial use therefore, it is considered “non-licensable.”
Restrictions could include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:
Architecture
Artwork
Content that appears to have been created with AI-generative technology*
Currency, to prevent counterfeiting
Editorial illustrations/vectors that were created using JPEG source material (e.g., auto-traced photographs or composites consisting of both photographs and illustrations)
License plates or vehicle registration numbers when the primary subject matter
Postage stamps without postmarks/cancellation marks
Privacy concerns
Private property/land
Products
Published materials and media such as literary works, music, maps/globes, and fictional characters/designs owned by media franchises
Public figures such as celebrities, politicians, musicians, and religious leaders
Screens displaying third-party content associated with a licensing market such as news broadcasts, TV shows, movies, video games, etc., as the primary subject matter
Trademarks
*Why can’t I claim copyright to AI-generated content if I am the one who produced the query that generated the synthetic content?
Because AI content generation models leverage the IP of many artists and their content, AI-generated content ownership cannot be assigned to an individual. Per our Contributor Terms of Service (Sections 13d and 13f), contributors must have proven IP ownership of all content that is submitted. As such, AI-generated content should not be submitted to Shutterstock. Learn more about our AI-generated Content policy.
We Recommend
Consulting our Known Restrictions list before submitting content.
If you don’t understand the reason for the rejection of your images or if you need additional clarification, you can always contact contributor support.