Permissions & Reuse

Applies to the ESS Press book line: books, monographs, chapters, and conference proceedings. For journal articles, see the rules of the respective journals on their websites.

1) Purpose and scope

1.1. This policy defines what may be used without additional permission and when/how rights holder permissions must be obtained for materials included in a book/chapter/proceedings volume.

1.2. It applies to text, tables, figures, photographs, maps, schemes, diagrams, charts, substantial fragments of code/data, and other copyright-protected content.

2) When permission is not required

2.1. Materials published under open licenses compatible with the license selected for your Work (e.g., CC BY content included in a CC BY book). Proper attribution and indication of the source license are required.

2.2. Short quotations of text (typically up to ~200 words from a single source and not more than ~10% of the source work), provided that a proper citation is included and the quotation is reproduced accurately.

2.3. Facts, ideas, and data as such (not protected by copyright), provided that proper source documentation and citation are used.

2.4. Tables/graphs re-created from underlying data, where you independently generate them from primary data and they do not constitute a derivative of a protected creative arrangement. The data source must be cited.

Note: the “short quotation” threshold varies by jurisdiction and context; the editorial office may request shortening or permission where necessary.

3) When rights holder permission is required

3.1. Full or substantial reproduction of figures, photographs, maps, diagrams, schemes, tables, infographics, and screenshots.

3.2. Large fragments of text, tables, or code; compilations where creative selection/arrangement is protected.

3.3. Materials under CC BY-NC-ND / CC BY-ND licenses (no derivatives) where adaptation/translation is involved or where publication occurs in a commercial context.

3.5. Images of identifiable individuals where image rights/privacy/model releases may apply.

3.6. Logos, brand guidelines, and other trademark-protected materials.

4) License compatibility

Work under CC BY: may include CC BY / CC0 / public domain materials; BY-NC or BY-ND requires a compatibility assessment (ND prohibits derivatives).
Where an included object has a more restrictive license, its conditions apply to that object only and must be stated in the caption (licenses are not “merged”).

5) Attribution and captions

Each reused object must include a caption stating:
(a) author/source, (b) title/description, (c) year, (d) license and link/DOI, (e) “used with permission” where permission was obtained individually.

Caption examples:
“Fig. 3. Heatmap … After: Smith, J. (2023), Title, DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxx. License: CC BY 4.0. Adapted for clarity.”
or: “… © 2021 ACME Corp., used with permission (License #ACME-2025-017).”

6) Permission request procedure

6.1. Identify the rights holder: author, publisher, agency, museum/archive, etc.

6.2. Send a request describing: what will be used, where (book/chapter title), extent/print run, language(s), your publication license, Open Access (yes/no), territory (“worldwide”), term (“for the life of the edition”), and formats (print/PDF/HTML).

6.3. Retain written permission (email/forms). Include the permission file in the rights package together with the finalized caption text.

6.4. If the rights holder does not respond, use an alternative (re-create from data; replace with an openly licensed equivalent). Silence is not consent.

7) Translation and adaptation

7.1. Translating a protected text is a derivative work and requires permission unless the source text is under a permissive license (e.g., CC BY permits translation with attribution).

7.2. Adapting images/schemes is permitted only under licenses allowing derivatives (i.e., not ND), or with written permission from the rights holder.

7.3. Always indicate that a material was modified (“adapted from…”, “translated from…”).

8) Responsibility and editorial checks

8.1. The author is responsible for lawful inclusion of materials and for complete attributions.

8.2. The editorial office may request supporting documentation, modify captions, and refuse inclusion of materials where there is a rights-risk.

9) Frequently asked questions

Can I reproduce a figure from a CC BY-NC-ND article?
Unmodified reuse may be possible for non-commercial use with proper attribution. (If adaptation/translation is needed, ND restrictions apply.)

Can I “redraw” a chart using published numbers?
Yes, if you build the chart independently from the underlying data and do not copy protected layout/design; cite the data source.

A photo from the internet with no license indicated:
Permission or an alternative is required. “Good-faith” use is not acceptable.