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February 3, 2026
Question

Keywords

  • February 3, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

Hello everyone,
Is it legal to copy the keywords of another contributor's image and apply them to my own image? 
Sometimes I find very successful images. Can I copy the same keywords and apply them to my image, or do I have to change some of the words, or is that not allowed at all?

Thank you!

    2 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    February 4, 2026

    Shortcuts won’t help you. In fact, they may hurt you. ‘Similar Content’ refusals are at least partially based on same keywords, titles & descriptions. 

    https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/how-to-submit-distinct-content.html

     

    Whenever possible, you should customize keywords and other metadata to reflect your own work and not the work of other contributors. Keywords are vital to people finding your assets in searches.

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    Jill_C
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    February 3, 2026

    First of all, there’s nowhere in the stock.adobe.com portal where you can actually see the exact keywords that were entered on an asset. If you notice, below the asset it says, “similar keywords”. Those are not the exact keywords that the Contributor entered. Secondly, unless the image from which you’re considering copying the keywords is identical to your image, what is the point? Keywords should be selected to accurately and thoroughly describe your image. No, it’s not illegal to copy keywords that you see online, but you really ought to put in the effort to select keywords that match “your” image, not someone else’s.

    Jill C., Forum Volunteer