Rights, Copyright & Fair Use
How copyright, open licensing, and fair use apply to preserved convention history
Historical Preservation & Copyright
Convention booklets, programs, schedules, pocket guides, zines, and event handouts are collaborative works created for a single convention weekend. Once an event ends, small print runs quickly vanish, conventions change hands or close down, and websites or mobile schedule apps disappear.
The Furry Con Archives keeps these records online as a noncommercial historical reference for fans, researchers, and convention staff—while respecting the creative rights of the artists, writers, and organizers who made them.
Fair Use & Archival Basis
Many items in our catalog are shared under Creative Commons licenses or with direct permission from convention staff. Where an older or out-of-print convention publication does not carry a modern license tag, Furry Con Archives hosts it for noncommercial research, historical reference, and commentary under U.S. fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107) and library/archive preservation principles (17 U.S.C. § 108):
- Noncommercial historical context: We present materials strictly as a free historical catalog—indexed with convention dates, locations, OCR search, and provenance—not as a commercial product.
- Ephemeral, out-of-print convention records: Conbooks, pocket guides, and schedules were printed or published for attendees of a specific past event and are no longer available from their original source.
- Complete historical record: Documenting a convention's program or schedule accurately requires preserving the publication as a whole so that credits, artwork context, and event timelines are not stripped apart.
- No commercial market impact: Because convention books and schedules are produced for a specific event weekend rather than sold as ongoing retail products, archival access does not compete with creators or conventions.
Ownership & Reuse Responsibility: Copyright in individual illustrations, articles, photos, and page designs stays with the original artists, writers, and conventions—Furry Con Archives claims no ownership over third-party works. Our fair use rationale covers noncommercial archival hosting; if you download or quote material from the archive, you are responsible for making sure your own use follows the document's license or applicable copyright law, and for crediting the original creators.
Creative Commons Licenses
Many convention publications and community works are released under Creative Commons (CC) licenses, which set clear terms for sharing and reuse:
CC0
Public Domain Dedication
The work is dedicated to the public domain. You can use it for any purpose without restrictions.
CC BY
Attribution
You must give credit to the creator. You can use, modify, and distribute the work.
CC BY-SA
Attribution-ShareAlike
You must give credit and license derivatives under the same terms.
CC BY-ND
Attribution-NoDerivs
You must give credit. You cannot modify the work, but you can distribute it.
CC BY-NC
Attribution-NonCommercial
You must give credit. You cannot use the work for commercial purposes.
CC BY-NC-SA
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
You must give credit, cannot use commercially, and must share derivatives under the same terms.
CC BY-NC-ND
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
Most restrictive. You must give credit, cannot use commercially, and cannot modify.
Understanding License Components
Creative Commons licenses are built from four core components:
- Attribution (BY): You must credit the original creator
- ShareAlike (SA): Derivatives must be shared under the same license
- NoDerivs (ND): You cannot modify or adapt the work
- NonCommercial (NC): You cannot use the work for commercial purposes
Learn more: Visit creativecommons.org for detailed information about each license.
Other Rights Designations
Beyond Creative Commons licenses, convention records in the catalog may carry one of the following rights designations:
All Rights Reserved
The copyright holder retains all rights. Hosted in the archive for noncommercial historical preservation and research under fair use.
Permission Granted
The convention organizers or copyright holders have explicitly authorized archival hosting and community access.
Custom License
The publication specifies custom reuse or distribution terms defined by the convention or creator.
Creators, Conventions & Removal Requests
We want creators and convention organizers to feel respected in how their history is documented. If your artwork, writing, or convention publication is included in the archive and you would like to:
- Add or correct creator credits, convention metadata, or license details
- Grant explicit archival permission for a convention series
- Request that a specific document or item be removed from public access
You can contact us informally at any time—no legal jargon required—or submit a formal DMCA notice at [email protected]. Please see our Preservation Policy and Contact pages for full details.