Memes Can Not Enjoy Their Sandwich

[Dragoneer]

We've been seeing quite a few "fill in the blank" style memes pop up on the site."Fill in the Blank" memes are usually an image or photo uploaded by the original poster with word bubbles or a "caption this pic!" style scheme. Users are generally encouraged by the original submitter to fill them out and upload them to the site.

Please note that responses to these kinds of memes are generally considered to be in violation of the AUP (see below).

While the the original submission is more than often within the rules, user's responses are not. I'd go so far to say that 9 times out of 10 their responses are a minimal effort involving little more than text and/or crops of copyright art. We highly encourage users to upload their responses via offsite methods such as on a personal site, Photobucket, Imageshack, etc and post your links in response to the original submission.

Memes of this nature can eat up resources, resources which are not free. Given that such responses are in violation of the AUP they will be removed. The *ONLY* exception is when the response contains original content (such as a drawn image) with visible effort that distinguishes the new submission from the original (and no, stick figures do not count). Merely adding text is not deemed as new content.

We encourage memes, and promote users to try and come up with their own unique idea that take off so long as they bide by the rules set forth of the site to contain original content (both in the originating meme and in all responses).

If you have questions please feel free to ask.

Video, Screenshots and Other Multimedia
Screenshots and/or video capture from movies, games, TV, anime, websites (including Fur Affinity) or any other visual media may only be posted if the Submission contains user created content. “User created content” is defined as items of artistic interest created by the user (e.g. texture maps, 3D meshes, background images, animated characters, interfaces, etc.). Pre-generated characters (e.g. World of Warcraft avatars) and art or characters created by “character generators” are not permitted.

Minor alterations, such as adding text, word balloons or applying filters to screenshots do not count as user created content. This also applies to segments of screenshots modified and removed (e.g. “pixel art”) using art directly from games.

We are working on a new version of the AUP that better addresses this specific issue. In the mean time, they are covered as a form of screenshot/screencap given their nature.

 

[Rhainor]

Sticky-fied.

 

[Armaetus]

Good riddance on seeing this cracked down upon..

 

[Nanakisan]

wooot all hail Dragoneer and his god powahs on Meme's
weeeee

 

[rednec0]

The *ONLY* exception is when the response contains original content (such as a drawn image) with visible effort that distinguishes the new submission from the original (and no, stick figures do not count). Merely adding text is not deemed as new content.

Original content is the chemo to the cancer (in this case) that is killing FA.

 

[marmelmm]

...But the memes where you draw your character in a blank space left by the other artist so the two characters are interacting are kosher, yes?

Where do collages fit into the AUP?

 

[Rafeal]

Love the icon and descript, MarmelMM

 

[Stratelier]

Where do collages fit into the AUP?

Probably the same place as memes, SL screneshots, and the like.

 

[salmy]

But when you create a meme of that kind, you're implicitly giving copyright permissions to re-post your art under your account and willing to share the copyright, so the one who fills the texts actually has permission to post the final result under their account.. just like if I ask for a comission and the author gives me permission, I can post it under my account.. isn't this right? I mean... where's the copyright violation here? There's no such violation if you have written (and public) permission from the owner..

 

[dmfalk]

But when you create a meme of that kind, you're implicitly giving copyright permissions to re-post your art under your account and willing to share the copyright, so the one who fills the texts actually has permission to post the final result under their account.. just like if I ask for a comission and the author gives me permission, I can post it under my account.. isn't this right? I mean... where's the copyright violation here? There's no such violation if you have written (and public) permission from the owner..

This is absolutely correct.

d.m.f.
(who has studied copyright law over the years...)

 

[Stratelier]

But when you create a meme of that kind, you're implicitly giving copyright permissions to re-post your art under your account and willing to share the copyright, so the one who fills the texts actually has permission to post the final result under their account.. just like if I ask for a comission and the author gives me permission, I can post it under my account.. isn't this right? I mean... where's the copyright violation here? There's no such violation if you have written (and public) permission from the owner..

Irrelevant. Say somebody gives you permission to re-post or re-distribute an unaltered copy of their work -- despite that this scenario would not violate copyright (they gave permission, remember!), you STILL would not be allowed to post it on FA.

Copyright doesn't define what you can/cannot submit to FA, FA defines what you can and cannot submit to FA.

Of course, FA's rules are written with respect for artists' copyrights, but they go above and beyond the legal definition of the term.

 

[dmfalk]

Irrelevant. Say somebody gives you permission to re-post or re-distribute an unaltered copy of their work -- despite that this scenario would not violate copyright (they gave permission, remember!), you STILL would not be allowed to post it on FA.

Copyright doesn't define what you can/cannot submit to FA, FA defines what you can and cannot submit to FA.

Of course, FA's rules are written with respect for artists' copyrights, but they go above and beyond the legal definition of the term.

Except the modification, with permission to do so, is yours, thus NOT violating the "By You, For You" clause.

A similar analogy is colourising someone else's art (again, WITH permission), or remixing someone else's song.

ALOT of FA would fall by the wayside because of your interpretation.

d.m.f.

 

[Stratelier]

...except the modification, with permission to do so, is yours, thus NOT violating the "By You, For You" clause.

Only so long as it does not violate other clauses and/or pretenses of FA policy. Current FA policy includes a vaguely-defined threshold for weighing whether or not a given modificaion to a pre-existing piece is sufficient to satisfy the previously established "by you" clause, and -- as Dragoneer posted to begin with -- some memes satisfy that requirement while others do not.

Overly stupified example: Flipping an image horizontally is not sufficient modification to claim even partial ownership over the result or satisfy FA's "by you" requirement.

 

[Magica]

I'm not sure if DA stamps fall under the category or not, but are these allowed? Both were made from a stamp template that I colored in and wrote on.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1248427/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1235898/

 

[Hanazawa]

I don't personally see any problem with the stamps as a general rule, but I don't really understand the point, since on DA they can be posted in your profile but on here they can't.

 

[Alchera]

We're starting to have a Chain Letter problem too. Not exactly a meme, but they've migrated from other sites onto FA, and its all ready becoming ridiculous.

 

[Stratelier]

Chain letters are most definitely memetic, and m,ost likely subject to the same prohibition as well.