A Dual-Module System for Copyright-Free Image Recommendation and Infringement Detection in Educational Materials

Images are extensively utilized in educational materials due to their efficacy in conveying complex concepts. However, unauthorized use of images frequently results in legal issues related to copyright infringement. To mitigate this problem, we introduce a dual-module system specifically designed for educators. The first module, a copyright infringement detection system, employs deep learning techniques to verify the copyright status of images. It utilizes a Convolutional Variational Autoencoder (CVAE) model to extract significant features from copyrighted images and compares them against user-provided images. If infringement is detected, the second module, an image retrieval system, recommends alternative copyright-free images using a Vision Transformer (ViT)-based hashing model. Evaluation on benchmark datasets demonstrates the system’s effectiveness, achieving a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 0.812 on the Flickr25k dataset. Additionally, a user study involving 65 teachers indicates high satisfaction levels, particularly in addressing copyright concerns and ease of use. Our system significantly aids educators in creating educational materials that comply with copyright regulations.