PokeMMO Community Wiki:Image use and attribution

This page records the minimum checks required before an image, sprite, icon, screenshot, or other media file is added to the wiki. It is an editorial checklist, not legal advice.

Required file-page information

Every uploaded file must identify:

• the original creator or rights holder;
• the exact source page and direct source URL where practical;
• the license or other reuse basis;
• the date the source and license were checked;
• whether the file was cropped, resized, recolored, or otherwise changed;
• any attribution wording and share-alike requirement;
• for non-free material, a page-specific rationale explaining why the use is limited and necessary.

“Found online,” “from Google,” or a repository's software license is not sufficient.

Preferred media

Prefer, in order:

1. original media created for this wiki with a clear license grant;
2. public-domain or CC0 media;
3. freely licensed media such as CC BY or CC BY-SA, with complete attribution;
4. externally hosted links when copying is not permitted;
5. low-resolution non-free media only after an administrator adopts a written non-free-use policy and each file has a specific rationale.

Do not upload a file merely because it is downloadable.

Community wiki and fair use

Being a community-run, educational, or noncommercial wiki does not automatically make an upload fair use. The U.S. Copyright Office describes nonprofit educational purpose as one factor in a case-by-case analysis and expressly notes that not all nonprofit or noncommercial uses are fair.

Wikipedia does not rely on community status alone. Its non-free-content criteria require, among other things, no adequate free equivalent, minimal use and resolution, prior publication, encyclopedic and contextual significance, source and copyright identification, and a separate rationale for each article use.

This wiki has not yet adopted an equivalent non-free-content policy. Until one is adopted and a file satisfies it, do not upload copyrighted Pokémon sprites or icons on a fair-use claim.

Pokémon sprites and icons

PokéAPI's sprite repository states that its image contents are copyright The Pokémon Company. PokéSprite states that its sprite images are © Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK Inc.; its MIT license covers the code and other project material, not those sprite images. Therefore, neither repository should be treated as a blanket free-image source. Attribution alone does not convert copyrighted sprites into freely reusable media.

Creative Commons checklist

For CC BY and CC BY-SA files, record the work title, author, source, exact license version, license link, and changes. CC BY-SA adaptations must be distributed under the same or a compatible license. Preserve attribution when a file is copied or reused elsewhere.

Screenshots and PokeMMO assets

A screenshot can contain rights belonging to PokeMMO and Pokémon rights holders. Before systematic use, record the relevant terms and adopt a non-free-use policy if needed. Use only what is necessary to explain a specific subject; avoid decorative galleries of copyrighted assets.

Removal and review

If the source, author, license, or reuse basis cannot be confirmed, do not upload the file. Existing files with missing information should be removed from articles and queued for review.