Squid Sisters taking a selfie

WHAT IS THE COPYHEART?

The Copyheart is a symbol that means the content on this website is free to be copied and shared. Copying is not the same as stealing. Stealing is when you take someone else's work and pass it off as your own. Copying is when you give proper credit, or when you use someone's work as inspiration to make something new. For example, the image above of the Squid Sisters is copied - not stolen - because credit is given in the tooltip.

People inspire people, and creation is what drives the world forward! Copyright laws weren't created to protect artists - they were created to protect the profits of rich people who wanted to get richer without risking the huge amount of money they already possessed. Corporations want to hoard content because they see art as a product - a passive commodity. But that's not what art is. It's human. It's alive. It has meaning. In a world of sharing and goodwill, corporations that only see art as a giant wallet would not be able to compete. As an artist, I would be overjoyed to hear that someone copied my work to share with others, or to use as inspiration for their own art. I want to make it easy for others to share and build upon what I've made - as long as it's done respectfully.

That being said, I DO NOT CONSENT TO MY ART BEING USED IN ANY KIND OF AI TRAINING. Feeding my art into generative AI is not copying - it's exploitation. Don't do it.

ARE THERE ANY RULES TO WHAT I CAN COPY ON YOUR WEBSITE?

Nope! You can copy anything - code, art, writing, whatever! Although my code is kind of a mess so I don't know if you want anything to do with any of that (I desperately need to organize my CSS). I only ask that you a) give credit, b) don't erase my signature, c) link back if you use my code, d) don't pretend my work is yours, and e) do not use any of my art for AI learning or training models. If you want to reference my work in your own, that's amazing, and I'd be honored! Just don't disrespect it. If you're ever unsure about whether something is okay to use or share, feel free to email me here. I'd be happy to clarify (and to see what you make)!

WHAT ABOUT COPYING IDEAS?

This is a tricky one! Here's my stance: inspiration is great. If you liked one scene, one idea, or one piece of worldbuilding - such as the Panopticon from Dead God Graveyard - go ahead and use it! Especially if it's something based on a preexisting concept (like the real-life Panopticon). That's the kind of inspiration that makes art grow and evolve. But don't copy the entire premise of my stories. For example, if you write about a girl escaping a desert cult and joining a ragtag crew of sand pirates that rides through the desert on the back of a giant mechanical camel - that's not inspired by my story, The Motherhood. That is my story, and you are stealing it. Technically, I can't stop you, but it'd still be a very messed up thing to do. Don't be that person.

I would love to be your inspiration, but don't just copy-paste. Make something that's yours! Art isn't beautiful because it's perfect; it's beautiful because it isn't. Real art isn't a clone - it's a piece of the artist's spirit. It's a unique, beautiful spark. The point of art is to share a piece of your soul with the world! You can't do that if the art you make isn't actually yours.

TL;DR - WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO:


For more information about the Copyheart or to use the Copyheart on your website, visit Copyheart.org!



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