Star Wars Fanon:Image policy

The Star Wars Fanon image policy is the policy that dictates requirements for sourcing images and information about the usage of images on the Star Wars Fanon Wiki. For some time, Star Wars Fanon has prided itself on always striving to achieve the highest possible standard of quality in content and in appearance. In this continuing endeavor to better ourselves, it is important that every member realize that we must always follow copyright laws with our images. To do this, it is absolutely required that all images uploaded to Star Wars Fanon be properly sourced and licensed using the {{Information}} template in the summary box found when uploading an image at Special:Upload. The correct source must always be used, meaning members must cite the original source rather than the website where they found the image, assuming that a member of said website did not create the template themselves.

If images are not properly sourced then the uploader is essentially stealing and that will not be tolerated, hence why this policy was enacted. It is also important to be able to identify the legality of using an image on Star Wars Fanon, including self-made images.

Sourcing

Guidelines

All images uploaded to Star Wars Fanon must be properly sourced with the original source rather than the website that the image was found on. For example, an image of Ussej Padric Bac titled Image:BacShaman.JPG was found on a gallery of James McAvoy images, but that is not a proper image source to put. Instead, the image source is cited as Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, because that is where the screenshot of the image came from. Had the image been sourced with the James McAvoy website, it would not have been adhering to fair use which it would claim and, therefore, would be breaking copyright laws. This is especially important in images that come from outside the Star Wars universe, though it is still equally important to properly source all Star Wars images.

Wookieepedia and Google

Wookieepedia also is not a proper image source, despite the fact that users find many of the images for their articles there. Simply stating “Wookieepedia” is not acceptable and will be grounds for the deletion of a newly uploaded image if it is used as a source. Linking to an image on Wookieepedia or linking to the article the image appears in on Wookieepedia also is not acceptable, as they are not proper, original sources. If you are taking an image from Wookieepedia and uploading it on Star Wars Fanon, you must use the source that Wookieepedia has used. For example, if the image you want to use from Wookieepedia comes from the Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, then you cannot cite the source using the link to the image on Wookieepedia or the article that it appears in, as stated above. The source you must use on Star Wars Fanon is Power of the Jedi Sourcebook. All newly uploaded images must follow this policy or they will be deleted by an Administrator.

There will, however, be exceptions to this rule. Sometimes a newly uploaded image has been sitting in a user’s computer for some time. That user must make every effort to find the original source, though if they cannot find it then they must state the exact reason why they cannot find that source. If a user saved an image from DeviantArt long ago but cannot find the image again on the website, they must state that they know they found it on DeviantArt but cannot find exactly where due to the length have time that has passed. The same goes for any other website image gallery such as DeviantArt or the Star Wars Artist Guild. The image will not be deleted if this is the case, though it must be clearly stated or an Administrator will assume that it simply has not been sourced.

As far as Google Images and Yahoo Images are concerned, no user can justifiably use Google or Yahoo in any situation. As Ozzel from Wookieepedia once stated, using “Google” as a source for an image is no different than writing a research paper and then citing “The Library” as a source on the Works Cited page. If you found the image on a Google Search, then you will clearly be able to find the site again. If the site has, in fact, disappeared, then state that but do not mention Google. If the image also happened to be deleted from its original website, cite the website as a source and mention that the image is no longer there.

Information template

In order to source images, all users must use the {{Information}} template and provide a few different pieces of information. Using this template is not open for negotiation. If it is not used and a user does not correct the breach of policy within twenty-four hours of an Administrator warning them, the image will be deleted. If it is re-uploaded with the template, it will be deleted again without warning. If you do not use this, it will be considered a serious offense. The three parts that you absolutely must fill out are the description of what it is used as on Star Wars Fanon, the source (using the guidelines listed above) and the licensing. If you know the author, you must say who that is. If you made any modifications to the image, you must state what they are under “filespecs”. In order to aide you in learning how to do this, a mock up of the information template is as follows:

Image policy	Check TinEye
Information
Attention!	Any important notes regarding this image must be stated so here.
Description	What is the image used as on Star Wars Fanon?
Source	What was the ORIGINAL source of the image? Please be sure to use the guidelines listed in the Guidelines section above.
Author/Artist	If available, who created the image? If you are not the artist who created this image, do not put your name. If you do, it will be considered fanon theft and you will be banned accordingly.
File specs / editing details	What did you modify, if anything, on this image?
Licensing	You must add a licensing template such as {{PD-self}}, {{fairuse}} or {{screenshot}} here. A list of all of the available licensing templates is in the following section.
Other versions	If any other versions of this image exist on Star Wars Fanon that you know of, link to them here.

[Source]

Image licensing

All images must be given a proper licensing tag when uploaded. There are two ways that a user can go about doing this, and neither is easier or harder than the other so in the end it comes down to personal preference. The first would be to select a licensing template from Category:Copyright templates, then copying and pasting it into the licensing section on the {{Information}} template. The second way would be to leave the licensing section on the template blank. If this is the preferred route, then one can be selected in the Licensing drop down menu. It will automatically be added to the image summary if it is selected from the menu. In order to know what each licensing status means, please read the following:

• Creative Commons:
  • {{Cc-by}} – This would license the image under the Creative Commons "BY" license, meaning Free Use, but the image requires proper attribution if it is to be shared.
  • {{Cc-by-sa}} – This would license the image under the Creative Commons "BY-SA" license, meaning Free Use, but the image requires proper attribution and similar versions of the image must be shared if it is to be shared.

• Fair Use:
  • {{Fair use}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions. Copyrights must be respected; if the image is asked to be taken down, it must be; the image cannot be used for profit; proper source and attribution must be given; etc.
    • {{Comicpanel}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions, as long as copyrights of the image aren't infringed, the different being that the image is from a comic book panel.
    • {{PermissionAndFairUse}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions, as long as copyrights of the image aren't infringed, the different being that the image owner has actually given explicit permission for the image to be used, usually with conditions.
    • {{Promotional}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions, as long as copyrights of the image aren't infringed, the different being that the image is from a promotional piece of work, whether it be art, posters, or film stills.
    • {{Screenshot}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions, as long as copyrights of the image aren't infringed, the different being that the image is a screenshot taken directly from a film.
    • {{Usercopyright}} – This would license the image under fair use provisions, which are owned by the user who uploaded the image. All copyrights of the image must be exclusive to the owner if they are to use this template.

• Public domain / Free use:
  • {{GFDL}} – This would license the image under the GNU Free Documentation License, meaning the image has been released to Wikia's use and is subject to its disclaimers, but no variants may be created from this image and proper attribution should be given.
  • {{P-D}} – This would license the image into the Public Domain with no conditions for Free Use. Only Free Use images should be licensed under such license. (Note: Just because an image is on the internet does not mean it is in the public domain.)
  • {{PD-USGov-NASA}} – This would license the image under the Public Domain United States Government/NASA license, meaning the image has already been released by the government or NASA into the public domain and is therefore free to use.
  • {{PD-self}} – This would release the image into the Public Domain with no conditions for Free Use by the user uploading it, only if he created the image. No conditions are set.

Templates that specify the copyright status of the file can help determine whether it is okay to use the image. Images from a copyrighted external source, uploaded under the "fair use" GFDL principle are not "copyrighted" exclusively to the user who uploaded the file, so any user may use it to the same extent to it's degree of "fair use". However, if the image was made by the same person who uploaded it to Star Wars Fanon, the policy of asking permission applies. If there is a template in the file summary that licenses it under Creative Commons, that means it is open to anyone to use and edit. Also, if the summary says the file is released to the public domain, that means it is not copyrighted and the author gives automatic permission for redistribution. It is still polite, however, to ask, or at least inform, the author of a file released to the public domain that it is being used, but the author cannot restrict useage.

Failure to source images

If a user fails to source their images, then they are in breach of the Image Policy. It will therefore be treated as a breach of any other policies and, thus, there will be consequences. The Administrators keep a close eye on recent uploads to ensure that all images are properly sourced, so it is next to impossible to upload an image, fail to source it and get away with it. The first time a user breaks the policy, they will be warned that they have failed to follow the policy and that the next time it happens they will be blocked for a certain amount of time and their images will be deleted. Like with all other blocks, the length of time a user is blocked for increases as the offenses continue. The following punishments are used for users who fail to follow the image policy:

• First offense: Warning
• Second offense: One day ban
• Third offense: Three day ban
• Fourth offense: One week ban
• Fifth offense: One month ban
• Further offenses: Infinite ban on uploading media, and one week ban for disruption

Using images uploaded by others

If an image has been uploaded from a movie, a television show, a game, a comic, trading cards or any other mainstream entertainment source, users have every right to use the image if it was not uploaded by themselves. The original uploader cannot claim ownership over it because he or she did not create it, and therefore anyone can use it. Uploading multiple images of the same Yoda image, for example, simply takes up space on the server and it is essentially unnecessary. If an image is fair use, a screenshot, a NASA image, is in the public domain or is of anything that is not restricted, anyone is able to use it.

However, there are instances when users cannot use images uploaded by others without permission without it being considered fanon stealing. If the image was created by an author for a specific purpose, then it will be considered fanon stealing if it is not used with permission. If the image is tagged as being under the "Fair Use with Permission" license, then someone else who wants to use it cannot ask the uploader for permission. Instead, they need to ask the person who created it if they are able to, and if the creator agrees to it then it is fair use for that person, but for no one else unless they ask the creator. If an image was modified by a user, discounting cropping, rotating or anything minor such as color changes and changes that require skill, then another user needs to ask permission from the uploader to use that before using it in their articles.

Public Domain images

If a user uploads their own work and licenses it under the Public Domain license, whether it be {{P-D}} or {{PD-self}}, they do not have the right to restrict users from using the work without permission. Public Domain images are just that: public. They are free to use and, therefore, any user may use any Public Domain image uploaded to this wiki. Restricting the use of the image would be in violation of United States Copyright Law and, therefore, it is not allowed.

That said, if a user does not like the fact that someone else is using a Public Domain image that the said user created themselves, they have every right to change the licensing on it and tell the user that they no longer have permission to use it. Artists, photographers, etc. have hte legal right to change the licensing on their images as they please. In order to avoid this, however, if a user does not want another user to use their image at all, it is highly recommend that they licensing it under {{PermissionAndFairUse}} or other permission-requiring licenses immediately upon uploading the image.

“Images by” categories

Categories for images labeled as “Images by” with the name of a user, such as Category:Images by Trak Nar, may only contain images created by or significantly modified by the user. Cropping, resizing and rotating, along with other minor edits, do not count as significant modifications to an image. Images that were not created or significantly modified by the user are not permitted to be in “Images by” categories under any circumstances whatsoever.

Animated .GIF images

The use of animated .GIF images, Image:Obimaul2.gif being an example of one, is not allowed in mainspace pages. Mainspace pages are also commonly referred to as articles. If a .GIF image is found in an article, it will be removed and a notice will be given on the talk page not to add it back into the article. Despite being restricted from articles, animated .GIF images are allowed on talk pages, user pages and all other pages outside of the article mainspace.

Questions/concerns

Any user who has any questions about the nature or content of this policy or any user who has any concerns about the policy should not hesitate to contact an active Administrator for help. Administrators are elected to their positions to carry out policies, but also to help users with any problems they might be having on Star Wars Fanon. Therefore, it is expected that any questions or concerns be directed to an Administrator, especially if the Administrator warns said user about the violation of this policy. Active and veteran members are also always available to help answer questions.