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So I am new here and haven't heard anything about these puzzles being used anywhere else. There are a lot of nice cryptic crosswords and similar puzzles created by people here that would do very well in other places. I am particularly thinking of a trivia site I frequent, it possibly could be a good place to throw up some of these puzzles.

However, what process would I have to go about to get permission to use someone's puzzle? I wouldn't be allowed to just take it, right? Would I comment below the question asking for permission, or is there some other way I could contact the creator? Or am I not allowed to use someone else's content altogether?

Obviously, if I did put someone's puzzle up on another website I would do more than enough sourcing/crediting, that wouldn't be an issue. I am merely curious about what regulations I must follow!

Thanks, everyone!

Josh (ThatOneNerdyBoy)

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  • $\begingroup$ A Sporcler, perchance? :) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:08
  • $\begingroup$ @Stiv Very much so! $\endgroup$
    – ThatOneNerdyBoy
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:09
  • $\begingroup$ We get everywhere! Welcome to the Spuzzcle club! $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:10
  • $\begingroup$ @Stiv Are there a lot of us? $\endgroup$
    – ThatOneNerdyBoy
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:12
  • $\begingroup$ No idea, but bound to be - quiz to puzzle is a natural step for those looking for a mental challenge! I'm sure this post will bring a few more out of the woodwork! $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:23
  • $\begingroup$ @Stiv Very good! I take it you are one yourself... $\endgroup$
    – ThatOneNerdyBoy
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 11:24

2 Answers 2

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Firstly, welcome to Puzzling and secondly, thanks for asking, that's a perfect place to start. :)

From a legal/licencing standpoint, all content posted here is done so under a permissive Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0 - see the footer of every page), which allows for sharing, redistribution, adaptation, etc so long as it's licenced similarly and you provide appropriate attribution, including a link back to the source.

From a politeness standpoint however, I think the right thing to do is, as you've suggested, comment on posts you'd like to copy and ask permission from the author. I can't imagine too many people having issue, and more than likely they'll be perfectly happy, not to mention curious to see where their work ends up (I've been asked in the past and fall into this camp). If you are denied permission or the author doesn't respond, I'll leave it to you to decide how to proceed (see paragraph above).

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks! I believe commenting is the best way to approach this. Also, the creator could possibly have their content get plenty of exposure (some puzzles created on this other website get well over 100,000 plays). It would be a good opportunity for both parties I would imagine! $\endgroup$
    – ThatOneNerdyBoy
    Commented Oct 16, 2019 at 12:14
  • $\begingroup$ Note that there is legal risk in assuming that the content has been licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The majority of it was unambiguously licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, and only the author has the right to relicense it. $\endgroup$
    – Peter Taylor
    Commented Oct 16, 2019 at 21:00
  • $\begingroup$ @PeterTaylor If I ask the creator permission and they grant it, can't I release it myself either way? $\endgroup$
    – ThatOneNerdyBoy
    Commented Oct 16, 2019 at 21:08
  • $\begingroup$ @ThatOneNerdyBoy - Yeah, that discussion doesn't really impact you beyond the fact that you're supposed to share under the same licence. Going with 4.0 is a fairly safe bet (for the purposes of your question) since A) that's what the site is publicly declaring, so that's "correct" to the best of anyone's knowledge at the time of sharing, and B) even if it were 3.0, that allows sharing derivative works under a later version of the licence anyway (though whether a direct copy can be considered a derivative work is also a little unclear). $\endgroup$
    – Alconja
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 0:10
  • $\begingroup$ @ThatOneNerdyBoy, yes. If you want to play it very safe, you could ask them to confirm the licence you should use. $\endgroup$
    – Peter Taylor
    Commented Oct 17, 2019 at 7:14
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@Alconja gave pretty much the best possible answer for the general case.

Here, I want to bring up an exception.

Any original content contributed by me can be used in any way you'd like. You don't need to ask for my permission (though it might brighten my day if you do), and you don't have to credit me (though it would be nice if you do). I'm happy to have contributed to the sum total of human knowledge, and doubly so, if anyone sees my work as fit for reusing elsewhere.

In much shorter sentences:

All my original content on PSE can be considered to be in the Public Domain.

(If I have used someone else's content in my posts, I have tried to indicate that as clearly as possible. Those parts are still subject to the licences under which I used them.)

Signed:

  • Bass
  • (I wikified this answer in case some other PSErs feel the same way, and want to add their names to the list.)
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