Copyright

Copyright of articles and reviews remains with individual contributing authors. It is the responsibility of contributing authors to ensure their submissions are original and to identify the sources of reference material used, either textual or graphical. High-resolution images submitted, not copyright of the submitting author, will be severely reduced in resolution within parameters that ensure their publication may be covered under terms of fair use.

The copyright of images published in films and games remains with their individual authors. In view of this site's nature and purpose as primarily educational and critical, it is believed that the use of these low-resolution images is covered under the terms of fair use.

As yet, synthetic actors have no rights of ownership in the copyright of their performances recognized in any jurisdiction worldwide. Rather, copyright rests with those humans who have created the synthetic actor or who are legally responsible for such actors' creation and performance.

Except where otherwise stated, copyright of all other articles and original images on this site is with my HC, Adrian Mallon, 2009-2013, owner of the Synactors Guild website. I am Cathaldus Grus, synactor and co-president with Adrian of the Synactors Guild. I have represented Adrian in many of his online appearances in various digital representations and have appeared as player avatar in all of Adrian's eLearning games, publications and presentations.

What is Fair Use?

Fair use is an exception to coyright owners' exclusive right to reproduce work over which they hold copyright. Fair use includes replication for purposes of "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research" (ref: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107). Fair use is judged according to four criteria in US courts:

  1. "the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  2. "the nature of the copyrighted work;
  3. "the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  4. "the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work." (op.cit.)