Jcastle.info:Copyrights: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:07, 30 June 2025

Content is available under the license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike unless otherwise noted. Jcastle.info reserves the right to change the policy at any time.

Summary of the License (CC BY-NC-SA)

Why We Value Attribution (BY)

Jcastle.info has been a labor of love and research for over 25 years. Every photo, field note, and historical insight represents time in the field, poring over sources, hiking ruins, and translating primary Japanese texts. This applies equally to me — the site admin — and to all those who’ve contributed over the years.

As generative AI reshapes the internet, we ask that anyone using this content — human or machine — cite it properly and respect the terms of our license. As a consumer of information, I encourage you to be discerning about the content you encounter through generative AI tools. Look for sources, validate the details, and give proper credit to those who created the original work. Ask for references — and whenever possible, visit the original websites to see the full context and support the people behind the content.

Non-Commercial Use (NC)

Non-commercial means you cannot use this content in any way, shape, or form to make money from the hard work of myself or other contributors.

You may use this content for non-commercial purposes, but you must:

Provide appropriate attribution
Include a link to the original page on Jcastle.info
Share any derivative works under the same license

What Counts as “Commercial Use”?

To be crystal clear:

Running ads on your blog or website? That’s commercial
Using content to promote your business or brand? Commercial
Distributing pages on your tour, in your hotel, or as a printout for guests? Yes, Commercial
Including Jcastle content in your subscription-based GenAI app or assistant? Definitely commercial

Maps, photos, and text are all the intellectual property of the author/creator. If you want to commission a custom set of materials for your tour business, B&B, onsen, travel guide, blog, or magazine — let’s talk! We’d love to collaborate and support people who respect and value this work.

Please Don’t Abuse This Resource

We share this content to engage with like-minded individuals, to support education, and to foster interest in Japanese castles. We are not here for others to exploit that generosity for commercial gain.

Using our work without permission is not just a copyright issue — it’s a matter of integrity.

If you’re unsure whether your use is allowed, please ask.
Don’t look for loopholes. Don’t reinterpret the license to suit your needs.
Be a good netizen. Respect hard work. Simple.

A Final Note on Fair Use

There are many times when an image from the web or a scan from a book might help illustrate a point. It might make your article or blog attract more eyeballs than others. But we don’t do that here — and you shouldn’t either. We always aim to create original content and respect the intellectual property of others. Please do the same.

When in doubt, ask. Instead of looking for loopholes or creating your own interpretation, be a good netizen and respect people's hard work. Simple.

Fair use is defined a little differently in each country, but it is probably not what you think it is. It is your responsibility to know not guess. Read on for more details:

The Educator’s Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Content is available under the license [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike] unless otherwise noted.
+Jcastle.info reserves the right to change the policy at any time.
-'''Please read this license carefully before attempting to use content from this site !'''
+'''Summary of the License (CC BY-NC-SA)'''
-Non-commercial means you cannot use this information in any way shape or form to make money off the hard work of me or other contributors. In non-commercial settings you must give appropriate attribution and any work where this content is used must also have the same license.
+'''Why We Value Attribution (BY)'''
-Do you use advertising on your website? That's COMMERCIAL. Is the intention of your blog to market your business? You are disqualified. COMMERCIAL includes printing pages to distribute on your tours as a tour guide. Maps, photos, and text are all the intellectual property of the author. If you want to commission an original package of materials to use on your tour, to place in your B&B or cafe to highlight nearby castles, etc let's talk ! Authors on this site can be commissioned to write articles for your online journal, travel business, etc.
+Jcastle.info has been a labor of love and research for over 25 years. Every photo, field note, and historical insight represents time in the field, poring over sources, hiking ruins, and translating primary Japanese texts. This applies equally to me — the site admin — and to all those who’ve contributed over the years.
-A significant amount of time, energy and expense has gone into creating the contents on this site. Some of the feature articles include original information in English that is not available elsewhere and may even be rare in Japanese. They took literally years of research. Research is real research, actually going to libraries, museums, exhibits, community centers, buying dozens of books and papers and even talking to people to interpret the information. Such contents are not just a summary of lazy bloggers that have mostly plagiarized other authors.
+As generative AI reshapes the internet, we ask that anyone using this content — human or machine — cite it properly and respect the terms of our license. '''As a consumer of information''', I encourage ''you'' to be discerning about the content you encounter through generative AI tools. Look for sources, validate the details, and give proper credit to those who created the original work.
+Ask for references — and whenever possible, '''visit the original websites''' to see the full context and support the people behind the content.
-Be respectful of authors' rights and ask for permission to use their contents or confirm if your use case is covered. I despise bloggers, SNS'ers and any other ilk who blatantly re-use the works of others including photos, illustrations, etc as though they own them. They don't. It might make your blog pretty or help you make your point or one-up other bloggers but it's simply illegal. There are A LOT of places where illustrations or photos "off the web" or a quick scan of a map from a book would help explain a point, but I don't. I try to find my own way and respect other's intellectual property.
+'''Non-Commercial Use (NC)'''
-The Creative Commons license provides a few rights to use copyrighted material under strict circumstances without seeking citation permissions. Obey the license or don't use the content. Simple.
+Non-commercial means you cannot use this content in any way, shape, or form to make money from the hard work of myself or other contributors.
+You may use this content for '''non-commercial purposes''', but you must:
+* Provide '''appropriate attribution'''
+* Include a link to the original page on Jcastle.info
+* Share any derivative works under the same license
+'''What Counts as “Commercial Use”?'''
+'''To be crystal clear:'''
+* '''Running ads on your blog or website?''' ''That’s commercial''
+* '''Using content to promote your business or brand?''' ''Commercial''
+* '''Distributing pages on your tour, in your hotel, or as a printout for guests?''' ''Yes, Commercial''
+* '''Including Jcastle content in your subscription-based GenAI app or assistant?''' ''Definitely commercial''
+Maps, photos, and text are all the intellectual property of the author/creator. If you want to '''commission a custom set of materials''' for your tour business, B&B, onsen, travel guide, blog, or magazine — '''let’s talk!''' We’d ''love'' to collaborate and support people who respect and value this work.
+'''Please Don’t Abuse This Resource'''
+We share this content to '''engage with like-minded individuals''', to support education, and to foster interest in Japanese castles. '''We are not here for others to exploit that generosity''' for commercial gain.
+'''Using our work without permission is not just a copyright issue — it’s a matter of integrity.'''
+* If you’re unsure whether your use is allowed, '''please ask.'''
+* Don’t look for loopholes. Don’t reinterpret the license to suit your needs.
+* '''Be a good netizen. Respect hard work.''' Simple.
+'''A Final Note on Fair Use'''
+There are many times when an image ''from the web'' or a scan from a book might help illustrate a point. It might make your article or blog attract more eyeballs than others. But we don’t do that here — and you shouldn’t either. We always aim to create original content and respect the intellectual property of others. Please do the same.
+When in doubt, ask. Instead of looking for loopholes or creating your own interpretation, be a good netizen and respect people's hard work. Simple.
+'''Fair use''' is defined a little differently in each country, but it is probably not what you think it is. It is your responsibility to ''know'' not ''guess''. Read on for more details:
+[https://www.theedublogger.com/copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/ The Educator’s Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons]