View source for Bootleg:Meta/Policies and Guidelines


== Introduction ==

The Bootleg Bakugan Wiki is a place to document toys and products that infringes on Spin Master's Bakugan intellectual property. Counterfeit and infringing toys are an important part of Bakugan history that must be also documented alongside proper Bakugan toys in order to inform and educate the community. 

== Scope ==

The Wiki cover products that are in some ways infringing on Spin Master's Bakugan copyright and trademarks. The Wiki's main focus is on toys that significantly copied the toy designs and engineering of original Bakugan, to such a degree that the former cannot be considered original. Intellectual property laws and courts, however, are not the main litmus tests on what is classified as a "bootleg" on the Wiki, as infringing products may not be considered so in different legal systems. It's up to the contributors of the Wiki to classify the products as bootlegs based on their design and engineering. Once such a product series is identified, the Wiki documents all aspect of the series, including areas that may not infringe on any Spin Master IP.  

The Wiki also cover products that uses a magnetic activation mechanism similar to Bakugan. Such toys may not have any infringing element besides the activation system, or may not be considered infringing on Bakugan related patent at all, but is documented here due to their cultural connotations. 

== Wiki Policies ==

===Legal Policies===

''Main Article: [[Bootleg:Meta/Legal Policies]]''

It's the policy of the Wiki to maintain a Neutral Point of View (NPOV). The Wiki does not advocate for any legal policies in the areas of intellectual property laws. Articles and statements on the Wiki should not be constructed as legal advice. Viewpoints and expertise of contributors of the Wiki should not be constructed  as representative of the Wiki.  

Counterfeit toys carry certain legal risk in select countries. Editors should be aware of relevant laws. The Wiki asserts no responsibility if legal conflict occurs. 

Contents uploaded to the Wiki should be qualified for Fair Use protection or licensed under Creative Commons or Public Domain. It's the responsibility of editors to make sure their contribution follow such legal guideline. 

===Writing Policies===

''Main Article: [[Bootleg:Meta/Manual of Style]]''

To fulfill the Wiki's informative mission, the Wiki established a Manual of Style (MoS) to help editors to contribute to the Wiki and maintain readability. While these rules are by no means absolute, they should always take precedence. 

In brief, articles should be written in a plain English for readability. Contents are expected to have a small level of academic formality suitable for an encyclopedia, but avoid overuse of jargon. Romanization should follow the most common romanization rules. Style should be maintained throughout an article. Do not insert personal biases into the Wiki. Articles should be categorized into their proper categories upon creation. 

===Image Policies===

''Main Article: [[Bootleg:Meta/Image Policies]]''

Images upload to the Wiki should follow a strict naming convention for easy identification and categorization. This is to distinguish the images from images for the main Bakugan Wiki. All images should meet a minimum quality limit unless no other images are available, but should be replaced with higher quality images as soon as possible. 

===Contributor Policies===

''Main Article: [[Bootleg:Meta/Contributor Policies]]''

We encourage all editors to contribute to the Wiki. Our editors come from all backgrounds with a variety of opinions. Maintaining a respectful and civil environment is important to the Wiki's mission. 

[[Category:Bootleg Wiki Meta]]