Copyright

What is a copyright infringement?

• Posting the copyrighted works of others without their legal consent
• Posting on behalf of an author and giving credit to them. This is still a violation of copyright and will be treated the same way. Consent is ALWAYS required from the author.
• Adaptations or slight alterations to a work, such as changing names, copying the events and writing them in your own words, changing character points of view, are a violation of copyright. For more information, check out: Infringing adaptations and fanfiction
• Using an image that you do not own. This includes making a cover with an image that you do not own the rights to (unless it is in the public domain).

What does and doesn't copyright protect?

Copyright only protects the physical representation of an idea, not the idea itself. Unfortunately, similar plots, story themes, and titles are not enough to constitute a copyright infringement. This is why there are many stories and movies that are very similar to each other. Unless there is substantial evidence of copyright infringement that can hold up in a court of law, website administrators will not be able to remove the story. If this is the case, we suggest you try to contact the other writer and respectfully try to resolve the issue in private. If you are unsure of whether a work infringes your copyright, we encourage you to seek professional/legal advice before submitting a notice.

How does OneLit deal with copyright infringement?

OneLit takes copyright infringement very seriously. Users are not permitted to post stories they do not own unless they have legal permission from the owner and can provide evidence when requested. Infringing content that is reported to us, or that we discover, is investigated according to our policies and removed should we find it is indeed a copyright infringement. Owners are encouraged to submit a DMCA takedown notice if they find a copy of their original work so that we can remove it.

Repeat infringers - In addition to the above policy, we may, when appropriate and at our discretion, terminate the accounts of users who repeatedly or actively infringe the intellectual property rights of others. If an account has multiple copyright infringements or an additional violation is discovered at a later date, the account will be closed. Please note that users' actions are linked to the holder of the account, not the account(s) themselves.

How does OneLit protect my work?

Your work is automatically protected under Copyright Law as soon you put it into a fixed format, like writing it down. There are several copyright license options that you can select when posting a story on OneLit and you can find them in our article: Copyright permissions. We abide by the DMCA process, so if you believe your work has been copied improperly, you can submit a DMCA takedown notice and we will respond as soon as possible. For more information, check out: How we protect your stories

Does OneLit own my work?

OneLit does not own any of the work you post to the platform. This means that you are free to post your work elsewhere as well as remove your work from OneLit at any time. You can learn more about this in our policies: Terms of Service

What is piracy/copyright spam?

We do not allow copyright infringement on OneLit, including promoting and/or facilitation of piracy. This includes piracy in any form, from requesting free download links to sharing full PDFs and even uploading existing works of authors.

We kindly ask everyone to be respectful and help OneLit to be a friendly and safe environment to enjoy. Please be advised that we reserve the right to delete messages and suspend any accounts that have violated our copyright policies without prior notice. To report piracy on OneLit please check out our article: Reporting copyright infringement

How do I report copyright infringements on OneLit?

Please check out our Reporting copyright infringement article for information on how to report published works and what to do if you find a non-published work on OneLit.

My work has been copied and published on OneLit or another website. What can I do?

Please check out our Reporting copyright infringement article for more information and instructions on how to report copyright on OneLit and what to do if your work was copied from OneLit onto another website.

Can I use their story, cover art, characters, etc.?

You must obtain permission directly from the author to use their story as your own. Using their direct work in any way (including adaptations) without their permission is a copyright infringement, which is illegal. Giving credit isn't enough unless that author has indicated that they are okay with others using their work. For more specific information regarding using other peoples' art, characters, and more, check out our article: Can I use their work/story/content?

Can I report my fanfiction?

If your fanfiction is your own original work, aside from the existing characters, you may submit a DMCA takedown notice as the original content is protected by copyright law. If your story is an adaptation, meaning you are using more than character names, we highly recommend you check out this article first: Infringing adaptations and fanfiction

Can I report a story if they've copied a movie/video game/TV show?

Yes, copyright infringements can include rewriting a movie, video game, TV show, etc., and uploading it to OneLit. This includes using direct dialogue from movie or TV show scripts. For more information, check out: Infringing adaptations and fanfiction

Can I use song lyrics in my story?

While it is common for individuals to include existing song lyrics in their stories, there is always a risk that the original copyright owner will submit a DMCA takedown notice to have it removed. For more information check out our article: Can I use their work/story/content?

Is my report anonymous?

We at OneLit are committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your information safe. Reports that you submit to OneLit are kept confidential. As such, we will not disclose your personal information to the reported user, or the copyright owner. The majority of reports are confidential on OneLit. There are very few exceptions, specifically in certain legal requests, where information will be shared, but this will be communicated clearly with you should this be required.

Should I keep a copy of my work?

We always recommend saving any original works you create outside of the OneLit platform. In the event of an account closure due to a violation of any of our policies, we will not restore or transfer story content, which may include your original works that are not an infraction.