Stocks and Resources
Stocks and resources is artwork created by an artist with the intent to share them with others to use in the creation of their artwork.
These resources include things such as but not limited to:
Stock Photos, Clip Art, Pre-made Backgrounds, Application Resources, Brushes, Presets, etc.

We have a list of Credit Guidelines here at #Realm-of-Fantasy
This is to protect all artists involved.
We do not condone Copyright Infringement, and will do our best to protect artists and their artwork from any such actions.
We also want all Stock and Resources artists to receive credit were credit is due for all of their hard work.
If it is found that there is a blatant intentional Copyright Infringement issue we will report it to deviantART Staff,
and to the original artist whose rights have been infringed upon.






All Submissions must follow all deviantART's Terms of Service.  

You must have permission from the original creator first in order to use or alter their work.
If you do not have permission to use it, then it is considered Copyright Infringement. No Exceptions.

If you want to use a resource created by someone else; it must be a valid resource artist that you can credit.
Google Image Searches and Wallpaper sights do not count as a valid resource.

All resources used must be credited, no exceptions.
You must provide Credit to each creator of the resources used, regardless of where you got the resource or it's Terms of Use.
We require credit for all resources in order for your submission to be accepted into this groups gallery.

Even if the photo or resource used is your own, you must state it as such.
If we see a photo or resource used with no credit we have no way to validate its source.
If you used your own photos, resources or purchased content in your work; please state this in your Artists Comments on your piece. Because if credits are not present, even if you were the creator or the resources are purchased, the submission will get put in review.

We do not acknowledge Fair Use.
We strongly believe in not only in Copyright Laws, but above all protecting the integrity of all Artists work.
So if the artwork was not intended to be used by others as a resource, and you did not gain permission from the original artist to use or alter it, then we will not accept it. Using artwork created before Copyright laws, or expired copyright protection is not accepted here.

We do not accept the use or alteration of artwork created before Copyright Protection laws were established.
Some artists never intended for their work to be used or altered. And since there is no way to verify that fact with any artists that pre-date Copyright Protection Laws, we do not accept any such artwork as a resource.

You can not use photos/artwork/wallpapers you found off the internet that are not intended for stock/resource use and use it in your work.
That is considered Copyright Infringement. Even if you credit a piece, you still must have permission to use it. This means no Google Image Search, Wallpaper Sites, etc. This also applies to Literature submissions in which use a visual thumbnail as well.

No screen shots. No Game Mod shots.
Examples: Films, Games, Screen Captures etc. No Exceptions

No Paintovers.
We will not accept any submissions in which it appears a persons artwork, photo or screen short has been painted over by another in order to pass it off as your own. Using artwork as a reference is fine, but painting over it is not.
We have trained Moderators using applications which can discover paintovers with a very high success rate.

We strongly suggest you follow the Terms of Use of your Stock/Resource Artists.
Stock/Resources artists work hard to crate their resources, and are kind enough to share it with you so that you may us them to help create your artwork. So the least you could do is respect their wishes and follow their Terms of Use.

Fan Art and Fan Fiction must credit the original sources.
The title of the Source material and the name of the Character if applicable must be stated in the artists comments.
Examples:
1)"Spiderman" and all names of characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks of Marvel Inc.
2)"Darth Vader" and all names and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks of Lucasfilm LTD
3)"Batman" and all other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.
4)"Wolverine" (c) Marvel

If a Registered Trademark Logo is not yours, do not use it.
For various legal reasons we will not accept any artwork that you submit that has another artist or companies registered trademark logo.
Examples:
Marvel, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, Mass Effect, etc.

If any of these Credit Guidelines are violated, the submission will be placed in review.
Group Moderators will contact you regarding the issue.
If the issue is not resolved, or if it is found that it is a copyright violation, the submission will be declined.

If the resource used is purchased material with sole rights to use such material explicitly given by the creator/merchant, we would like for you to credit it as such.
Example:
"Background: Purchased stock"





Lack of proper Credit and Links provided of the original Artist and Resources used is the #1 cause of delays daily in our Group Submission process. When we observe possible uncredited Resources use in a Group submission, we send out a correspondence message to the artist requesting Credit and links, and must often wait for a response.
Each submission placed in review due to credit issues costs time. It costs us time, and it costs you time.
And this takes time away from processing other members submissions.
So everyone suffers, even the members not directly involved.

Due to the large amount of submissions which are containing other peoples work without permission, credit and/or links given; we have had to establish these Credit Guidelines in response. Keep in mind that any such infringements also reflect upon us as a Group, and therefor we share in the responsibility when any such infractions occur. Our Group standpoint and Guidelines in regards to this issue are very clear:

If you did not make it; you must get permission to use/alter it from the original artist/company, give credit and provide a link to the piece used. If you do not have permission to use it, then it is Considered Copyright Infringement. No Exceptions

You must provide Credit to each creator of the resources used, along with links to every resource used, regardless of where you got the resource. Not just links to the site where you got the resource, but a link to the resources themselves. No Exceptions

If you can not remember, find or provide the original credits and links, then we ask that you do not submit that piece to our Group. This is not just limited site wide to deviantART, this is world wide. Regardless of where your source is from you must provide all credits and links for your work to be submitted into our Group Galleries. This goes for all mediums.

Our staff screen each piece to make sure all artists rights are protected. We as staff communicate with one another and check each piece and their contents, as well as all credits and links. We investigate and research each piece, and are now in the process of doubling our efforts due to the increasing amounts of uncredited Resources and/or use of Copyright Protected Material used.

If you see a submission in our group gallery that contains uncredited stock.resource or copyright protected work, contact us via Group note titled "Stock Issue" or "Copyright Issue". Do not contact us leaving a public message on our front page. We will keep all tips confidential and anonymous.

Please also refer to our Submission Guidelines for all rules about submissions in our Group: [link]





FAQ #157: Can I use things created by other people in my submissions?
FAQ #217: What are "Stock and Resources" and can I use them in my submissions?
FAQ #257: What sort of permission do I need to use someone else's work?
FAQ #193: How do I prove that I had permission to use someone's work?
FAQ #557: Can I submit art which I have made using a "base" (or line art) created by someone else?







This Journal will be updated and re-posted from time to time.

NOTICE:

This Blog is not intended for any debates, disputes or standpoints regarding deviantART Terms of Service, Group Policies, Resource/Stock Artists Terms of Use or Copyright Laws. Any such comments will be hidden. This Blog is intended only to establish and present our Group Credit Guidelines. If you have any questions regarding this blog or any information within do not comment here, rather please send a note to the Group.