Upon request, I'm providing a brief explanation of some aspects of copyright protection at AW.

First, AncientWorlds, LLC (AW) is a corporation. It is in essence owned by Jot, the founder of AW. To protect itself pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the corporation has adopted a site license which includes legal terminology consistent with United States and international requirements.

The site license (which is part of the Code of Conduct at AW) protects your rights under copyright law. If you create something, a writing or a graphic design, it is yours. It remains yours. You get to say who (if anybody) can use it or make copies of it or make "derivative works" from it. You get to refuse permission if you want.

A "derivative work" is a new creation based on yours. A derivative work with permission is fine. A derivative work without your permission is a violation of the copyright law and of the Code of Conduct and will lead to banning. If somebody takes your work without your permission, complain about it to one of the demis and they will handle the problem. (But it is useless to just complain to your friends. They can sympathize, but they can't fix the problem.)

One problem area that arises at AW stems from people taking images or writings from elsewhere and then posting them at AW. You can't complain to the demis that somebody "stole" your image or your writing if you copied it to begin with. So the demis are not going to do anything about that, except maybe delete YOUR image as in violation of somebody else's rights. So don't complain if you did not create the image or writing from scratch.

By using AW to showcase your creations, you agree that Jot can "use" your work for the purpose for which you uploaded it. In other words, you can't upload an avatar and then sue the corporation because your work is displayed where you put it at AW. But Jot can't take your avatar and use it on, say, a masthead, without your permission. That would be a derivative work, and that is not permissible under the Code of Conduct.

As part of giving the site the right to "use" your work, you also agree that the site can "modify" your work. This does not mean that Jot can steal your work or make a derivative work from it. It means that the file size or type can be altered to suit AW's technical display requirements. Your avatar, for example, is displayed as a thumbnail on your posts and as a full size avatar on your home page. Thus, the avatar file is "modified" to fit the display requirements.

You also agree that the corporation can use your work "royalty free." This means that Jot doesn't have to pay you because you decided to write something or make a graphic and post it at AW. It does NOT mean that Jot can sell your work.

This explanation is greatly simplified, of course. Copyright law is a very complex area of international law. The bottom line at AW is this: Jot is not interested in stealing your creative works. He is not going to steal your work. However, he does want to protect himself pursuant to the terms of relevant statutes and treaties. And that is what the site license and the Code of Conduct is all about.

If you ever have any questions about any of this—contact a demi. If the demi doesn't know the answer offhand, he or she will find out the answer for you. (On this or any other subject or problem.)