WikiPaintball:Copyrights

WikiPaintball copyrights explains the rules governing copyrighted material published on WikiPaintball, including original articles, historical documents, photographs, illustrations, equipment information and other content.

WikiPaintball is an independent encyclopaedia dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of paintball worldwide.

The project respects the intellectual property rights of authors, photographers, publishers, manufacturers and other rights holders.

Historical preservation does not remove copyright protection. Contributors must ensure that material published on WikiPaintball can be used lawfully.

General principles

All WikiPaintball contributors must follow these principles:

Respect copyright. Do not reproduce copyrighted material without an appropriate legal basis.
Write original content. Articles should normally be written in the contributor's own words.
Credit sources. Identify the publications, websites and documents supporting factual information.
Understand that attribution is not permission. Naming the original author does not automatically authorise reproduction.
Respect individual rights holders. Different elements of an article may have different copyright owners.
Preserve history responsibly. Historical information can be documented without reproducing entire copyrighted works.
Check reuse permissions. Material available online is not necessarily in the public domain or released under a free licence.

WikiPaintball's goal is to preserve information about paintball, not to create unauthorised copies of other publications.

Copyright ownership

Copyright in original contributions generally remains with the person or organisation that owns the rights, unless those rights have been transferred or otherwise assigned.

Publishing an article on WikiPaintball does not automatically transfer copyright ownership to WikiPaintball.

However, contributors must have the necessary rights to permit their material to be published and edited as part of the encyclopaedia.

WikiPaintball's own branding, original materials and other protected elements may be subject to separate rights.

The presence of content on WikiPaintball does not mean that WikiPaintball owns every element displayed.

Contributor permissions

Contributors should submit only original material or material they are authorised to publish under the applicable terms.

For new contributions made with notice of this policy, contributors grant WikiPaintball a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to store, publish, reproduce, display, edit and preserve their submitted material as part of the operation and maintenance of the encyclopaedia.

This includes ordinary article revisions, historical version storage, backups and technical changes necessary to operate the website.

Contributors retain any copyright they hold in their original work, subject to permissions they have already granted.

This provision does not retroactively change the copyright status of earlier contributions or override separate licences.

The rights granted to WikiPaintball for operating the encyclopaedia do not, by themselves, grant unrelated third parties unrestricted permission to republish its contents.

Reusing WikiPaintball content

Readers may access WikiPaintball for research, education and historical reference.

However, public access does not automatically authorise unrestricted reproduction or commercial reuse.

Before reproducing substantial amounts of WikiPaintball content elsewhere, users should check the applicable copyright and licensing information.

Where a specific licence is stated for particular material, reuse must comply with its terms.

Where no reuse licence is established, permission may be required from the relevant rights holder unless an applicable copyright exception permits the intended use.

The copyright status of an article's text may differ from that of photographs, logos, diagrams and other materials included in the article.

A licence covering article text must not be assumed to cover all accompanying media.

Using information from other sources

WikiPaintball relies on historical publications, tournament results, manufacturer records, archived websites and other sources.

Contributors may research these materials and use verified factual information to produce original encyclopaedia articles.

However, contributors should distinguish between facts and the copyrighted expression used to communicate them.

For example, a tournament's date, location, participating teams and final results may be documented using independently written text.

This does not automatically authorise copying an entire tournament report, its commentary, photographs or distinctive presentation.

Contributors should:

Read and understand the original source.
Extract the relevant verifiable facts.
Write an independent summary.
Cite the source appropriately.
Avoid reproducing substantial passages.
Avoid closely following the original wording or structure.

Changing a few words in a copyrighted article is not necessarily sufficient to create an independently written work.

Quotations

Short quotations may be appropriate where the original wording is directly relevant to the subject and the proposed use is lawful.

Examples might include:

A historically important statement by a tournament organiser.
A brief quotation from a player interview.
An official explanation of a rule change.
A short extract from a contemporary manufacturer announcement.

Quotations should be clearly identified, accurately reproduced and properly attributed.

They should be limited to what is reasonably necessary for the article's purpose.

There is no universal number of words that automatically makes a quotation lawful. Applicable copyright exceptions depend on the circumstances and relevant law.

Contributors should not reproduce lengthy interviews, magazine articles or historical reports merely because they are relevant to paintball.

Where appropriate, summarise the information and link to the original publication instead.

Historical magazines and publications

Paintball magazines are valuable sources of historical information.

Publications may contain tournament coverage, player interviews, equipment advertisements, photographs and articles that are no longer readily available elsewhere.

However, a magazine's age or discontinued publication does not automatically place its contents in the public domain.

Contributors may use these publications for research and cite them as sources.

Reproducing entire articles, magazine pages or substantial portions of copyrighted material requires appropriate authorisation or another valid legal basis.

Possession of a physical magazine does not necessarily include the right to reproduce its contents publicly.

Archived websites

Many historic paintball websites are accessible through services such as the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

Archived websites are useful research sources, but their appearance in an archive does not remove existing copyright protection.

Contributors may link to archived pages and use verified factual information to prepare original articles.

Do not assume that an archived website can be copied into WikiPaintball in its entirety.

This applies to historical team websites, manufacturer catalogues, tournament reports, online publications and other archived content.

Where possible, link directly to the relevant archived page.

Tournament records and databases

Tournament results are central to WikiPaintball's historical documentation.

Contributors may use reliable records to establish factual information such as:

Tournament dates and locations.
Participating teams.
Competition divisions.
Published placements.
Recorded match scores.
Season standings.

These facts should be presented accurately and supported by references.

However, copyright or other rights may protect particular databases, original written commentary, illustrations and creative arrangements of information.

Contributors should avoid unnecessarily reproducing complete third-party databases or copying their distinctive presentation.

Where substantial historical records are being incorporated, contributors should consider the source's applicable permissions and any relevant database rights.

Photographs and other media

Photographs, illustrations, video footage and other media may be protected by copyright independently of the subjects they depict.

In general, the photographer or other rights holder controls reproduction of a copyrighted photograph.

The person appearing in a photograph does not necessarily own its copyright.

Similarly, owning a physical print, magazine, poster or other historical item does not automatically grant reproduction rights.

Media should only be published on WikiPaintball when an appropriate legal basis exists.

Possible grounds include:

Ownership of the relevant rights.
Permission from the rights holder.
A licence permitting the intended use.
Public-domain status.
An applicable legal exception.

Material should not be presumed free to use merely because it appears on social media, a search engine, a forum or an archived website.

Credit should be provided where required, but credit alone does not replace permission.

Logos and trademarks

Paintball team logos, manufacturer branding, tournament emblems and other identifying marks may be protected by copyright, trademark law or both.

WikiPaintball may refer to registered and unregistered trademarks when documenting historical subjects.

Such references do not imply endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation.

The use of a name for factual identification does not necessarily grant permission to reproduce a protected logo or graphic.

Contributors should distinguish between using a brand name in an article and reproducing copyrighted brand artwork.

Public-domain material

Material in the public domain may generally be reused without obtaining copyright permission, although other rights or restrictions may still apply.

However, public-domain status must be established rather than assumed.

A work does not automatically enter the public domain because:

It was published many years ago.
The author has died.
The original company is no longer operating.
The material is available on the internet.
The work has no visible copyright notice.
The identity of the rights holder is unknown.

Copyright duration and public-domain rules vary by jurisdiction and type of work.

Where a contributor relies on public-domain status, the basis for that status should be identifiable.

Creative Commons and other licences

Some material is published under Creative Commons or other licences that permit reuse subject to specified conditions.

Contributors must read and comply with the applicable licence.

Depending on the licence, conditions may include:

Attribution to the original creator.
Providing a link to the licence.
Identifying modifications.
Releasing adaptations under compatible terms.
Restrictions on commercial use.
Restrictions on derivative works.

Different Creative Commons licences provide different permissions.

The existence of a Creative Commons licence does not automatically mean that every form of reuse is permitted.

Contributors must also ensure that the licence is compatible with WikiPaintball's intended publication and editing arrangements.

Content from Wikipedia and other wikis

WikiPaintball is an independent encyclopaedia and is not affiliated with Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation.

Material published on Wikipedia and other wikis may be subject to specific reuse licences.

Contributors must not assume that text or media can be copied merely because it appears on another publicly editable website.

Any reuse must comply with the original material's licence, including attribution and any applicable share-alike requirements.

A simple reference to Wikipedia is not necessarily sufficient to satisfy those licensing conditions.

Where practical, WikiPaintball articles should be independently researched and written using original sources.

Artificial intelligence and copyright

Artificial intelligence tools may assist contributors in researching, summarising and drafting articles.

However, AI-generated material is not automatically free of copyright concerns.

AI tools may reproduce protected wording, closely imitate existing publications or generate content whose origin is unclear.

Contributors remain responsible for checking material before publication.

In particular:

Do not use AI to reproduce entire copyrighted articles.
Do not submit material that closely copies protected source text.
Verify the original sources behind factual claims.
Check that any reproduced quotations are lawful and appropriately attributed.
Do not assume that AI-generated images or text are automatically available for unrestricted use.

See WikiPaintball:Using AI to write articles.

Obtaining permission

Where permission is required, contributors should seek authorisation from the appropriate rights holder before publication.

Permission should clearly identify:

The material being authorised.
The person or organisation granting permission.
The uses being permitted.
Whether modification is allowed.
Any conditions concerning attribution or further distribution.

Permission to publish material on WikiPaintball does not necessarily include permission to release it under a broader public licence.

Where possible, permissions should be recorded in a form that can be reviewed if questions arise later.

Reporting copyright infringement

WikiPaintball aims to respond appropriately to credible reports of copyright infringement.

Rights holders or their authorised representatives who believe that material has been used without permission may contact WikiPaintball administrators.

A useful report should include:

The URL of the WikiPaintball page containing the material.
Identification of the material believed to infringe copyright.
Identification of the original copyrighted work.
An explanation of the claimant's rights.
Relevant supporting information.

Administrators may review the material, request clarification, restrict access or remove content where appropriate.

A copyright complaint does not automatically establish infringement, but credible complaints should be examined carefully and without unnecessary delay.

Copyright concerns should not be used as a means of suppressing factual information, legitimate criticism or lawful historical reporting.

Correcting copyright problems

If a contributor discovers material that may have been copied without authorisation, the issue should be addressed promptly.

Possible actions include:

Rewriting copied text in original language.
Replacing the material with a concise factual summary.
Adding missing licence information.
Seeking permission from the relevant rights holder.
Removing material that cannot lawfully remain.
Requesting administrative assistance where necessary.

Removing material from the current article does not necessarily remove it from publicly accessible page histories.

Administrators may need to consider whether affected revisions require further attention.

Contributor responsibility

Contributors are responsible for respecting copyright when submitting material to WikiPaintball.

The fact that information is historically valuable does not create an automatic exemption from copyright law.

Likewise, citing the original creator does not necessarily authorise reproduction.

Where the rights status of material is uncertain, contributors should prefer independently written summaries and links to the original source rather than copying the material.

Final principle

WikiPaintball exists to preserve paintball history and make verified information accessible to future generations.

That mission must be pursued while respecting the rights of the people and organisations whose work has documented the sport.

Preserve the facts, credit the sources and respect the rights of creators.

External links