Changes to the Image Policy on Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki 2023[]
Ok, not gonna sugarcoat things. The image situation on BFF is a bit of a mess. We've got a huge archive of unused image files due to the deletion of old pages, old wiki merges, and the fact that back in the dinosaur age of the early 2010s/tweens people apparently liked to use the wikia upload feature as a personal photo database* (Google images? I don't know her).
Anyway, aside from brushing the dust off the old image policy, there are some very important changes regarding the nature of a very small thing called copyright laws and the internet, and also the showdown of the century, Artist vs. AI (rounnnnnd 1!). Please continue reading for important updates.
*Seriously, you don't want to know the amount of selfies I've found on here. Embarrassing.
Copyright is Sticky, not Smooth Baby[]
At the bottom of FANDOM pages there's a little disclaimer which you may have missed. It reads:
Obviously, we here at Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki don't own Bleach. Neither do we own the images from Bleach, which includes the original, official anime content, manga content, movies, ova's, etc. etc. You can read more about the copyright info for FANDOM here. The long and short of the copyright information means that users are free to "share alike" the content they read and create on wiki. For example, if we created a template here on BFF, another wikia could use that template so long as the attribute the original creator(s) of that template.
However, the CC-BY-SA mostly covers just the textual content. What about images? According to Community Central's licensing article, "While text contributions automatically fall under the CC-BY-SA, image and video files do not." Were this a standard wiki, we would need to select licensing information for every image we upload here. The fact that we don't kinda isn't a good look, but since we're a fanfic wiki we're treading in shark-infested waters anyway. For the most part, screencaps/screenshots of specific manga panels and stills from the Bleach anime (or other anime and manga series) fall under fair use laws provided we DON'T upload full pages of the manga at a time, full videos, full pdf scans, etc. Basically, the images we use from the original copyright series can't be counted as substantial. You get the picture (no pun intended).
The criteria is: is the image in question being used for an educational (informative, think youtube), creative, transformative way? If so, it falls under fair use (or so we hope.)
Splitting Hairs[]
Here is where FANDOM's CC-BY-SA and the typical protections granted to fanfic authors and fan artists part ways, compadres. According to the ChicagoBar.org, "At its basic definition, copyright protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works.[9] Accordingly, fans own copyright in their own original contributions to a fan work. Although they would not own the basis for their fan creation, they do own their final product."
In less legalese, the basis of our fan creation is Bleach, and we don't hold the copyright for that or own that. However, you as a fanfic writer own the final product you've created: say an article you wrote from scratch, a work of fanfic, or a piece of fan art.
However, according to the aforementioned CC-BY-SA, anything posted on a wiki can be used elsewhere so long as attribution is given.
We aren't about that life, and so we've set out policies to grant users of Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki a (hopefully) larger safety net. First and most obvious is the {{property|Property}} template at the top of every article published here, which states that articles cannot be used or edited without the original author's permission. Do users technically have to follow this? No. Could they technically be banned by our admins for using someone else's work without permission? Yes.
That said, here's how our requirements go beyond what is stated by wikia's licensing when it comes to images, especially fan-created artwork.
Our Commitment to Protecting Artists[]
In the past, Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki might have earned itself a bit of a reputation for art theft. In the very specific context of Fanfic writing and OC creation, we define art theft as including using an artist's commissioned work (i.e., somebody paid for them to design and draw it) without their permission.
No it does NOT count to simply credit the artist and continue to use the commissioned images. Users must remove any stolen artwork or face the consequences, which may include being banned from editing on this community.
It goes without saying that it is absolutely not ok to use someone's OC artwork that the created themselves for use on this wikia without permission.
Some Wiggle Room Applies[]
Some artists create art of a series' (copyrighted) character, not an original character (not an OC based on Bleach, for example, but a fan painting of Ichigo). These images MAY be used so long as proper attribution is given. That means crediting the character, series, and original artist on the article the image it is being used on and preferably also the image file description when the image is uploaded. If the artist requests that you take down the fanart, you must oblige.
Again, same as for OCs, you cannot use commissioned work of copyrighted characters without proof that you've received that artist's permission.
What Attribution Looks Like Otherwise[]
If a canon image or manga panel from Bleach is uploaded, the episode and/or chapter number (and page number) must be listed in either the image title or the description. This prevents copy-pasting at random from various places across the internet, which cuts down on playing fast and loose with the CC-BY-SA clauses.
For images that come from other anime/manga series, the attribution will be considered sufficient if the character and series being used for the "face claim" is listed in the "trivia/notes" section of the article, at minimum.
Attack of the Intelligence (AI)[]
Since all artwork must be sourced or credited, this automatically excludes using AI-generated art on Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki.
Several active users of BFF deliberated on this topic and came to the conclusion that, since it is difficult if not impossible to list the sources used as "seeds" to create AI generated artwork (and even more work for the administration to verify that users are being truthful about their AI sources), attribution is simply not possible. Many if not most AIs were trained using artwork without artists' permission anyway, and as we stated earlier, we are committed to protecting artists. As such, AI generated images are not allowed on this wiki.
In Summary[]
Whew. That was a lot of technical jargon to wade through. Congrats, you made it (I hope?). In summary:
- If you use images from another anime/manga, you must cite the source of your faceclaim on the article where it's being used (and preferably also in the image description when uploading)
- Fanart of canon characters from other anime or manga series is ok as long as you credit the original artist and also cite the source (see the point directly above).
- If you receive permission to use OC artwork you need to credit that and show documented proof to staff to use those images here.
- You may not use commissioned and/or OC fanart without explicit permission from the original artist.
- No AI generated images are allowed on BFF.
Please reach out in the comment sections if you have any questions. Hopefully, the changes to the image policy will guarantee more safety for users on Bleach Fan Fiction Wiki who choose to commission or create their own artwork for their articles. With that, happy editing!