Studio Khara Clarifies Recently Launched 'Evangelion' Fanart Guidelines

Following a series of news centered around its recently launched Evangelion fanart guidelines, Studio Khara has taken to Twitter to clarify the “rules” it announced last week. Coming ahead of the official release of the fourth and final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, the guidelines were originally believed to serve as a crackdown on the derivative works being created for the iconic franchise.

According to Khara, the guidelines were in no way created to “censor” or “prohibit” fan activities created around Evangelion and its characters. Noting that the nine rules are for each to interpret and internalize “to take responsibility for themselves and continue their activities.”

Catch the clarification and check out an English translation of Studio Khara’s guidelines for Evangelion fanart posted on its website below.

Regarding the guidelines for Evangelion fan creations that were announced the other day, we feel the need to add some clarification because a part of it was taken out of context, distorting the intent.

Firstly, the guidelines were not created to “censor” or “prohibit” the contents encompassed by fan activities. We believe that fan activities sprout from positive feelings and a desire to support the work, and we have been supported by fans for a long time. In the past, we have never once asked an existing fan activity to censor or desist. Our stance and way of thinking will not change.

We released the guidelines because we thought that it was necessary to create basic principles so that all fans can enjoy their activities with peace of mind. We left vague wording in some parts to give fans as much leeway as possible to freely pursue their activities. It might be a little difficult, but we ask that each person reads the original document for themselves, and after thinking about the contents carefully, to take responsibility for themselves and continue their activities.

We have received numerous queries, but as a rule, we cannot provide personalized responses regarding the practical application of the guidelines.

It is our utmost wish that fans in the community do not restrict each other’s works.

1/5) 先日発表した『エヴァンゲリオン』のファン創作物についてのガイドラインについて、その一部分だけが切り取られ、意図が歪んで伝わってしまっていると感じるので、少し補足したいと思います。

まず、このガイドラインはファン活動をその内容含め【規制・禁止】するものではありません。

続＞ pic.twitter.com/Wi3CDLa41t

— 株式会社カラー (@khara_inc) December 30, 2020

1. Fan activities should generally be done without monetary compensation or for commercial purposes. This includes using it to promote another work or service. Evangelion rights management company Groundworks must be contacted for permission to use the IP for commercial purposes.
2. Fan works (video, images, novels, etc.) that follow the guidelines can be posted on social media services, illustration uploading services, novel submission services, and video uploading services, as long as these services mainly deal with all-ages content and have rules against profane content/behavior.
3. Please ensure that you and your fan community have respect for the source material.
4. Please refrain from creating works that: are hurtful to the source material or to another person; are created to further a specific religious or political agenda; express hateful points of view; are overly violent, grotesque, pornographic, or otherwise offensive; infringes on another creator’s ownership rights; or are works that could be mistaken for an official product.
5. Official images can be used for citation or referencing purposes, but this must be the only purpose for the usage, and you must please refrain from generally using video, music, and audio.
6. Fans can submit works to the following premium services, as long as they follow the guidelines of those sites and agree that their accounts will not be used primarily for Evangelion fan content or for excessive monetization purposes: YouTube Live, Twitch, pixivSketch Live, Nico Nico Doga, Patreon, PixivFanbox, Ko-Fi.
7. Do not release fan creations to announce something with a separate scope. Only release fan creations within the scope of the guidelines or under a similar license.
8. Regardless of the contents of the guideline, the copyright owners reserve the right to halt a fan’s activities in order to protect their personhood (honor, reputation, the attribution of their name, the identity of their work, etc.)
9. The guidelines are subject to change at any point, depending on public reception and changes in society.

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