Creator Rights, Attribution, and Responsible Offline Use
Understand the difference between viewing public media, saving a copy, and receiving permission to reuse it.
Public Does Not Mean Unrestricted
A post can be publicly viewable while remaining protected by copyright, privacy rights, publicity rights, trademarks, contracts, and platform rules. Saving a technical copy does not transfer ownership. The person who uploaded a post may also lack rights to every song, performance, image, logo, or clip contained in it.
When an Offline Copy Is Appropriate
Lower-risk examples include backing up media you created, saving work a client authorized you to handle, keeping material distributed under a license that permits downloading, or retaining a personal reference where applicable law allows it. Context matters. A lawful personal reference does not automatically authorize reposting, editing, selling, training a model, or using the work in advertising.
Permission and Attribution Are Different
Attribution identifies a creator; permission supplies a legal or contractual basis for the use. Credit alone does not replace permission unless the relevant license says it does. When asking a creator, describe where the material will appear, whether it will be edited, how long it will remain available, and whether the use is commercial. Keep their response with the project records.
Keep Useful Provenance
Record the creator or account name, original public URL, date accessed, stated license, and any direct permission. Do not remove identifying marks to imply ownership or hide the source. If an authorized edit requires a clean source, ask the creator for an original file when possible; it is usually better quality and makes the permission chain clearer.
Respond to Concerns
If a rights holder contacts you and you cannot establish a valid basis for continued use, stop publishing the material while the issue is reviewed. Zaptok rights-holder reports are described in the Copyright Policy. This guide provides general educational information, not legal advice; disputed commercial or high-risk uses should be reviewed by a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
Related Policies and Help
Read the Zaptok tutorial, review the Acceptable Use Policy, or return to the resource center. Rights holders can use the Copyright Policy, and technical questions can be sent through the contact page.