TTA Databank:Copyrights

From TTA Databank

The TTA Databank respects the copyrights of Stewart Cowley and the TTA licensees. This document describes some of the considerations we apply toward TTA material.

Consider Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki with a similar purpose). Star Trek is primarily a video-based setting. One can post still frames and write transcriptions of episodes on the wiki all day, and it will still not be the same experience as watching the actual episode. Short of outright file sharing, there is no real way for a wiki to threaten that experience (at least not until you start talking about tie-in novels and such).

In contrast, as a primarily text- and image-based reference source about a text- and image-based setting, we sometimes walk a narrow line between providing sufficiently useful information, and providing too much. Obviously, we want this wiki to be a valuable addition to the TTA community. But why should anyone buy the book if they can get all the information and artwork here?

Here's a specific case: vehicle entries, ala Spacecraft: 2000 to 2100 AD.

It is acceptable to describe the appearance, history, and technology involved in (say) the K13 Shark. It is also fine to create original pictures of the Shark to go with those. It is not fine to type up a duplicate of Stewart's original Shark write-up, scan in the original picture, and post that as your article -- unless, of course, you are Stewart. If you aren't, that's plagiarism.

In short, material directly about the content of the TTA books, like spacecraft entries (or non-TTA books, for that matter) should be written in your own words, and needn't cover every last detail of the topic. Any artwork you post should be your own.

(Obviously none of this applies to a ship you designed for yourself.)