Forum:Copyright Q & A

Forums: Index > Rin's Travel Agency > Archive > Copyright Q & A

		Yuan 翠珊 — 09:15, November 27, 2009 (UTC) "He wants to write a love song / An anthem of forgiving / A manual for living with defeat"
		Greetings, and welcome to yet another of Yuan's guides. Here I will be addressing copyright, an oft overlooked issue on the FF wiki, and one which causes much grief to Wikipedian editors. EVERYONE IS TO READ THIS. This policy is NOT debatable. Note that it applies to all images on the wiki, whatever space they may be in. Q: What is copyright? A: Copyright refers to a set of laws that have to do with intellectual property, which exist to protect works and their creators. Basically, anything which is created is automatically copyrighted by its author. The author possesses exclusive rights to publish, make copies of and adapt their work and related works. Note that copyright applies to photography, fanart and screenshots. Q: Okay, but what does this have to do with Square and the FF wiki? A: Everything Square Enix (or any other person or company) creates is under copyright. Since we do not own the copyright, we are by law not permitted to make copies or distribute those works (ie, by uploading it to this wiki). Q: But wait, doesn't that mean that we won't be able to upload any copyrighted images? A: Ah, but we have a handy thing called fair use. Because we are a wiki about the Final Fantasy series, we can claim that any use of FF images falls under fair use. As our aim is to present comprehensive coverage of the FF series and images constitute a form of information, we can argue that these images assist us in achieving our goal. Q: What is this "fair use?" A: Fair use is part of copyright law. In short, it allows people to copy or distribute copyrighted works for certain purposes, assuming that doing so does not harm the ability of the original author to profit from their work. Q: Why can't we claim fair use for images not under our scope? A: These images aren't related to the wiki, so we can't say we're going to use it to achieve our aim. We have no rationale for using it on the wiki, thus it would be a copyright breach. Q: What about images that are not from FF, but still fall under our scope? A: Each of these need to be given individual justification for why it is fair use for it to be used in a particular article. Note that "to accentuate an article" is not a valid justification - you must include why it accentuates the article. Because these images are all owned by Square, we assume that there are no free equivalents. An example of a fair use justification for File:Kh-leon.jpg would be "This is an image of a Final Fantasy character who appears in Kingdom Hearts, a related series. The image underscores the connection between the series, and illustrates the transformation of the character". Q: How do I add fair use justification? A: Please include Template:Copyright in the "Summary" box when uploading an image. In the permission field, state why you feel it constitutes fair use. Q: That sounds tiresome. Do I have to do it for all images? A: No. You will only need to do this for non-FF images that still fall within our scope, such as images from the Kingdom Hearts series. Q: I've uploaded fanart to this wiki. Does this break copyright? A: This is a difficult question to answer correctly, as it is dependent on the work in question. In general, fanart is considered a derivative work; a work which is based on another, original one. In this case, the original copyright belongs to the original author, but the author of the new work owns a new copyright to that work. However, there are complications - a derivative work must have a degree of transformativeness. This means that it must differ significantly from the original in terms of meaning, effect, expression or physical appearance. There are a number of other sticky issues, but this is the basic gist. Q: I don't really understand what constitutes a derivative work. Can you give me an example? A: Let's say I'm making an artwork of Terra Branford for a friend. Square Enix owns the image and character of Terra Branford. I use a pencil and paper to create a completely new image of Terra, in my own style. I own the copyright to this image. This copyright is separate and distinct from Square's existing copyright. However, if I merely add a caption to a pre-existing image (let's say it's Terra's Dissidia artwork), then I am not transforming it sufficiently, and thus a new work is not created. This is considered to be a breach in copyright, and I do not own a new copyright. The same follows for basic collages, which are not allowed on this wiki. Q: What images will not be allowed under this? A: We will not allow any copyrighted image which does not fall into our scope, SE or other wise. All unlicensed user images will be stamped with Template:Copyright and deleted within the week. Q: Okay, how about images that are allowed? A: Anything with fair use rationale on this wiki (ie, all SE-copyrighted FF images and things within our scope that have been given justification), images released into Public Domain or licensed under Creative Commons, GNU, copyleft or a similar license; images which you have created yourself and images which you have been given explicit permission from the author to upload. Please be reasonable with the number of User Images you upload. Q: This isn't fair! You've deleted my image and I had no warning! Grah! >:( A: One, this isn't a question. Two, this particular policy has been up for more than a year now, so this is hardly "no warning". Unfortunately, this is the law we're following. We don't really have any choice, so it goes. Q: But this is just a tiny image used for a user box! Can't you let it slide? A: We cannot. While the use may seem trivial, the law is the law. Q: I really, really want to use an image on this wiki, but I don't have fair use rationale. Are there any other options for me? A: Certainly. You can ask for permission to upload it to the wiki. You can use a free alternative, such as creating an image yourself. If this is not feasible, you can use an image hosting site like Photobucket and link to it directly (it will show up as an image). If an image is hosted on another wiki, you can link to its direct URL, and it will appear. Q: How do I resize an image on another wiki? A: Go to that wiki and edit a page to include that image at the size you want. Preview your edit, then copy the HTML address for that resized image. Q: Why are my user images being deleted? I want to claim fair use for them. A: As fair use is primarily for artistic or educational purposes, you will not be able to claim fair use for any copyrighted images in user space, or indeed, for any personal use (including forums, walkthroughs etc). As such, any images of that nature will be deleted. Q: I hate copyright! A: Can't help you there, sorry. Join a copyleft movement or bring it to court, if you like ^^;. Q: I would like to learn more about copyright. Where can I do so? How did you learn about copyright? A: I have no idea why you would want to immerse yourself in law...but if you want to, just look for legal textbooks at your local library, or do a quick Google search. Here's a link to get you started. My experience with copyright comes from the good ol' school of Wikipedia wrangling over said issue with files. Trust me, it isn't fun. Q: I'm still confused. Can someone help me? A: If you still have questions, feel free to either leave a message here or drop me a line on my talk page. You can also contact one of the other Staff members who know the ropes, such as Faethin or TacticAngel. In summary: FF images: A'okay. License with Template:SECopyright Copyrighted images within our scope: Template:Copyright and fair use rationale Copyrighted images outside our scope: DELETE! Unlicensed images: DELETE! Self-created fanart or original art: Use Template:Copyright. Special circumstances, such as images released under Creative Commons, images uploaded with permission and public domain: Template:Copyright and one of the special licensing choices on the upload menu. Hentai: DELETE and BANNED! Finally, I have a few related notes: Please, please read Project:File use, Final Fantasy Wiki:Copyrights, Help:Images and Forum:Image Upload before uploading images. Any questions you have may already be answered there. Check for duplicates of the image you are uploading. Don't forget to add a license. Always remember to categorise. I cannot stress this enough. I would like to request that this thread be stickied to the top of Rin's and possibly the other forums, as well as adding an edited version to the Help Portal and a link from the upload form. My thanks to those who struggled through this massive wall of text. Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Please add them below, and I will do my best to address them.

Comments

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv200/Henryacores/Gilgy_Sprite.png

		Henryacores - "É que esta noite vou lançar ao mar/A bruma que houver em mim./Vou beber e cantar este luar/vou dançar até ao fim." TALK - Henryacores^ 13:05, November 27, 2009 (UTC)
		Great guide Yuani :]

		Xepscern - It's Morphin Time!! TALK - 13:19, November 27, 2009 (UTC)
		It's a great guide, Yuan, but I'm still a bit confused on our policy on non-FF inages. We have a lot of images of things from Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts. I understand having a pic of KH-Vivi, but we have images of Keyblades that don't need to be here. I get having an image of the One-Winged Angel Key, but why do we have a pic of the Guardian Soul? EDIT: I don't know if I was clear. This is what I mean: SleepingLion.JPG Sleeping Lion Keyblade-Lionheart.jpg Lionheart Squall in KH Now, I get having these. They are obviouse refrences of Squall. But why have this image: File:Crono.jpg I don't see why this pic of Crono should be here.

		Armageddon11 - Sind Sie das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger! TALK - 13:41, November 27, 2009 (UTC)
		Thanks for the good read, Yuan.

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/ScatheMote/AnotherSmug.png

		ScatheMote - 15:48, November 27, 2009 (UTC)
		Very informative and a well written Yuan! I hope this solves the fanart and fairuse problems because they are quite a headache to deal with.

		Yuan 翠珊 — 23:03, November 27, 2009 (UTC) "He wants to write a love song / An anthem of forgiving / A manual for living with defeat"
		@Henry, Pocky and Scathe: My thanks! @Xepscern: Many of those images were left over from when we gave full coverage to the KH and Chrono series. A lot of them will now have to be deleted. The Lionheart and Sleeping Lion images can stay, as they are references to the FF series.

		Chocolancer - あぁもうホントに妬ましい…　汚らわしい… 疎ましい…　いやらしい…　鬱陶しい…: TALK - 23:42, November 27, 2009 (UTC)///CL-528
		Finally! I've about had it with keyblade images and KH characters littering our database. We could always link them from KHWiki since we don't need their full coverage anymore, but why keep those two? It's great that Xepscern had mentioned them or else they never would have crossed my mind. Once again, Yuan has proven to be a great teacher.

		Yuan 翠珊 — 23:47, November 27, 2009 (UTC) "He wants to write a love song / An anthem of forgiving / A manual for living with defeat"
		CL is correct. If an image you wish to link to is present on another Wikia, you can link to it like this: And it will show up.

		8bit BlackMage - Beyond the Sky TALK - Why do chemists call helium, curium, and barium 'the medical elements'? Because, if you can't 'helium' or 'curium', you... um... ._.; - 02:56, November 28, 2009 (UTC)
		Thanks for writing this guide, Yuan! I hope some of my ignorant questions on IRC helped to create the Q & A ^^ I hope this gives everyone advance notice that they may see some of their user images deleted soon due to the absence of fair use rationale.

		Modedan - Spells and Swords..the best of both worlds! TALK - 04:35, November 28, 2009 (UTC)
		Thank you very much for the Q & A guide Yuan. Fortunately for me, the only images I use are in the fair use category. I think I only posted one other image besides the image I use on my userpage and my talk bubble guy, but I got that one out of the fair use category too. I don't really know how to use images all that well yet myself but it is good to see a notice like this up so I can always learn more.

		8bit BlackMage - Beyond the Sky TALK - Why do chemists call helium, curium, and barium 'the medical elements'? Because, if you can't 'helium' or 'curium', you... um... ._.; - 06:15, November 28, 2009 (UTC)
		Hey, Yuan, about the stickied forum thing, someone on the main wikia IRC helped me. Apparently you need certain code to alter a category called something like Category: Stickied threads, and then just place the forum in that category. He says the code is on this page. Copy the code from the first <table> to the last </table>. Oh, and the code would go on the Rin's Travel Agency main page in the same position as it is on Wikia's Watercooler. We can also make a template that puts a thread in the category, like this template. In the end, the stickied forums look like this. So, we'd like to implement this?

		fuzzymillipede TALK
		I am a bit confused about how this policy applies to screenshots. Is a screenshot of a random gameplay (not cutscenes) copyrighted by SE? What about a screenshot of a third-party program which is rendering an image of material copyrighted by SE? Examples: Third party render of the Buster Sword from FFX Random screenshot of FFIX

Nice guide, a tad long, but at least its easier to understand then that damn healthcare bill. Exdeath64 19:10, November 28, 2009 (UTC)

		Yuan 翠珊 — 23:20, November 28, 2009 (UTC) "He wants to write a love song / An anthem of forgiving / A manual for living with defeat"
		@fuzzymillipede: Yes, those are copyrightable. @Exdeath64: My intention was to be as comprehensive as possible in my answers. If this makes the guide long - well, it's better than it being incomplete.

		Pikmin Master - No matter my strength, I will still be loyal! TALK - 19:57, November 30, 2009 (UTC)
		Okay, I understand. So...are you good if I use an image if it links to another Wikia? I understand that uploading an image of, let's say Wolverine from X-Men, is bad. What about linking said image from the Marvel Wiki?

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/ScatheMote/AnotherSmug.png

		ScatheMote - 20:41, November 30, 2009 (UTC)
		You can link images from other wikis and Photobucket without penalty.

		Pikmin Master - No matter my strength, I will still be loyal! TALK - 16:07, December 1, 2009 (UTC)
		Okay, then. And thanks to you, Yuan for the [revival of the] guide.

		Pikmin Master - No matter my strength, I will still be loyal! TALK - 17:19, January 13, 2010 (UTC)
		One more thing that I just remembered. What about Bulbapedia? The Pokemon Wiki is "vastly inferior to what we'll inevitably find in" Bulbapedia, so can we use that as an exception?

		Judge Balthier - Hamshanks! TALK - 03:34, March 8, 2010 (UTC) "You know what they say about the Leading Man? He never dies."
		Ok, I have the gist of it. Just one thing though; how can I adjust a photobucketed image's size?

		Yuan 翠珊 — 04:11, March 8, 2010 (UTC) "He wants to write a love song / An anthem of forgiving / A manual for living with defeat"
		@PM: Sorry, no exceptions. @JB: You'll need to do it manually using an image editor, then upload to Photobucket.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii319/THE_faethin/kainfinal.png

		FëasindëTalk "Burn the land, boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." 04:17, March 8, 2010 (UTC)
		Actually, Photobucket allows you to resize an image on its integrated editor. On your album page, click on the image you want to resize. When the image is displayed, hover your pointer over the image and a toolbar should appear. Hover your pointer over "edit" and you'll see the "resize" option.

		Judge Balthier - Hamshanks! TALK - I don't need to think! 8D 03:41, March 14, 2010 (UTC) "You know what they say about the Leading Man? He never dies."
		Finally one last question; If I alter an image's size from another wikia that is linked to this wiki, Will the change in the image's size be made to this wikia as well?

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/ScatheMote/AnotherSmug.png

		ScatheMote - 04:06, March 14, 2010 (UTC)
		It's possible, but no one really knew about it until ILHI figured it out. First resize an image, and click preview. Right-click on the image and select "View Image" or something akin to that. Then copy the link, and the image should be bigger or smaller.

xcanox "Hey you! Get your damn hands off her!" -George McFly I have a question in regards to the "screenshots" issue. Is the screenshot copyrighted by the owner, or the game developer? Also, if I upload a fanart that I made by myself, do I add the Copyright template and say that I own it?

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy50/Whostolemymuffin/FFWiki%20Stuff/Talkbox.png

		Likeacupcake - Never are we more free, than when we are confined to the realm of dreams. TALK - 06:53, November 20, 2010 (UTC)
		Though you were the one to create it, the image is of copyrighted material, meaning that the copyright still belongs to the game developer. And I think we have a fanart template... don't hold me to that though...