What do we do about questions or answers which contain questionably copyrighted material?
This includes:
- Embedded scanlation images
- YouTube links to episodes or parts of them
- Links to fansub groups
1 Answer
As per our discussion in chat: Here and here
The official response from SE is:
Our usual policy is that moderators are not lawyers and are not responsible for enforcing any laws. This includes copyright.
If there is a legal problem, it will be brought to us. Then we'll handle it if it needs handling and pass the results on down to you if necessary. So, my advice would be to avoid doing something obviously boneheaded, but otherwise don't overthink it. :)
Source:
- http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/8140216#8140216
- http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/8140354#8140354
So in other words: Do whatever you want within reason.
So if you need to link to copyrighted material to ask or answer a question, by all means do it if you think it is necessary and it contributes significantly to the post..
So what's "within reason"?
Use reasonable judgement. Don't post stuff like:
- "Where do I find illegal fansubs?"
- "XXX fansubs is a great source for free anime."
A line will be added to the FAQ (in the "What not to ask" section) to clarify it.
If you believe that you hold the copyright for material hosted on this site and want to have it removed, see section 15 of Stack Exchange's Terms of Service regarding Copyright Policy for how to proceed.