Image Use Guide

Note: The rest of this page will be dedicated to Copyright and Creative Commons, but I will note here that pornography and gore are absolutely not allowed on the Backrooms Wiki. Whether an image counts as either of those will be decided by staff on a case-by-case basis.

Overview:

  • All images must be complicit with CC BY-SA 3.0 with some exceptions.
  • All images must be attributed to their original creator.
  • That's basically it.

Can be used:

  • CC BY-SA 3.0/2.0/2.5
  • Any version of CC BY
  • Public Domain
  • CC0/CC 1.0
  • Free Art License
  • Original photography and artwork

Can be used with some constraints1:

  • CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Pixabay License
  • Unsplash License

Cannot be used:

  • Copyrighted images
  • Any CC versions that include NC or ND
  • CC BY-SA 1.0
  • GNU GPLv3
  • Fair use
  • Any image that you don't have the source of
  • Any images that you can't find the license of
  • AI Generated Images

What is CC BY-SA 3.0?

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, or CC BY-SA 3.0 essentially states that anyone is free to use the work without fear of copyright infringement as long as they credit the original source, and release any derivatives of the work also under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Everything on the Backrooms Wiki is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise stated.

Attribution:

All images used on the wiki must be attributed. Not only is this a requirement for CC BY-SA 3.0, but it also allows staff members to confirm that an image is usable. You can either attribute the image in your author collapsible, or a discussion post. The attribution must include a link to the source2 as well as the license of the image used. For derivative work, you must also include the license that you are releasing the derivative under if it isn't CC BY-SA 3.03.

Original photography, and artwork:

You may use original artwork or photography, but you must attribute it to yourself, as well as release it under CC BY-SA 3.0. This is just as simple as writing in your attribution that you are releasing it under CC BY-SA 3.0. You do not have to provide any additional proof that the image was created by you. Note: If you take a photo of a copyrighted piece of artwork or media, this cannot be used as it counts as a derivative.

Other people's artwork and photography:

If you can get into contact with the creator of an image, you may use their image as long as they agree to release it under CC BY-SA 3.0. If you do this, you must also provide proof that they released it as such.

Why not AI Imagery?

  1. To respect the wishes and concerns of the artists on our site.
  2. Due to lawsuits against many of the major AI image generators.

Currently, the only AI generator we allow is ThisPersonDoesNotExist.

Editing images:

You may edit any images that comply with CC BY-SA 3.0, and even combine multiple CC BY-SA 3.0 compliant images into one.

Other licenses:

There are several licenses that don't comply with CC BY-SA 3.0, but can still often be used. These have their own constraints that you need to be aware of.

CC BY-SA 4.0:

CC BY-SA 4.0 is very similar to CC BY-SA 3.0. The main difference, is that while anything that is compatible with CC BY-SA 3.0 is compatible with CC BY-SA 4.0, not everything compatible with CC BY-SA 4.0 is compatible with CC BY-SA 3.0. What this means for you is that if you make an image that contains elements of an image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, you must make a note that that derivative is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 rather than CC BY-SA 3.0.

Unsplash License:

Any image published to the website, Unsplash is released under the Unsplash License. The main differences between the Unsplash License and CC BY-SA 3.0 is that the Unsplash License is that it doesn't allow images to be resold as is. This doesn't mean you can't sell anything that uses the images, but rather that you can't resell them as stock images. It's completely fine to use images released under the Unsplash License in your articles. The Unsplash License also allows you to do anything you want with derivatives of the images. This means you may combine Unsplash images with other CC Compliant images, and release your derivative under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pixabay License:

Any image published to the website, Pixabay from January 6th, 2019 onward is released under the Pixabay License4. The Pixabay License is almost identical to the Unsplash License, except that it has a Model and Property Release clause. It's completely fine to use images released under the Pixabay License in your articles (as long as you comply with the Model and Property Release clause). The Pixabay License also allows you to do anything you want with derivatives of the images. This means you may combine Pixabay images with other CC Compliant images, and release your derivative under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Model and Property Release:

One thing to keep in mind is that the Pixabay License does not allow the use of images that have identifiable people, private property, or products. This means that you may not use a Pixabay image that depicts a house, logo, or someone's face unless it is edited beyond recognition.

Other "Royalty Free" Licenses:

Many stock image sites claim that their images are "Royalty Free". This does not necessarily mean that it complies with CC BY-SA 3.0. If you think a site's license would be compatible with the Backrooms Wiki, you can tell a staff member, and they can look into it. Otherwise, don't use images with site-specific licenses not listed above.

Places to look for compliant images:


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License