Copyright & Attribution

1. Website Content Ownership

Unless otherwise stated, Mithila Universe and/or its licensors own the intellectual property rights for all material on this website. All intellectual property rights are reserved.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Original written content and articles
• Website design, layout, and graphics
• Compilation and organization of information
• Software and code
• Logos, trademarks, and branding

2. Traditional Cultural Knowledge

We acknowledge that Mithila culture, traditions, rituals, art forms, and practices belong to the Mithila community and cannot be "owned" by any individual or organization. Our copyright extends only to:

• Our specific presentation and interpretation of cultural information
• Original writing and commentary
• Organization and compilation of information
• Website design and functionality

Traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and folklore are part of the shared heritage of the Mithila people.

3. Permitted Uses

3.1 Personal and Educational Use

You may:

• View and read content on our website
• Print pages for personal, non-commercial use
• Share links to our content on social media
• Quote brief excerpts with proper attribution (see Section 4)
• Use content for educational purposes in schools and universities with attribution

3.2 Restrictions

You may NOT:

• Republish material from this website without permission
• Sell, rent, or sub-license material from the website
• Reproduce, duplicate, or copy material for commercial purposes
• Redistribute content from this website (except as permitted above)
• Remove copyright notices or attributions
• Modify or create derivative works without permission

4. How to Attribute Our Content

When citing or quoting our content, please use the following attribution format:

5. Madhubani Art and Images

5.1 Traditional Madhubani Art

Madhubani painting is a traditional art form of Mithila. While the art form itself is part of cultural heritage, specific artworks are protected by copyright belonging to the individual artists.

Images of Madhubani art on our website are used with permission or under fair use for educational purposes. We provide attribution to artists whenever possible.

5.2 Photography and Images

Photographs and images on our website are either:

• Original works created by Mithila Universe
• Licensed from stock photo providers
• Used with permission from copyright holders
• In the public domain
• Used under fair use for educational purposes

Attribution is provided where required. If you believe any image is used improperly, please contact us immediately.

6. User-Generated Content

If you submit content to us (comments, stories, photos, etc.):

• You retain copyright to your original content
• You grant us a license to use, display, and distribute your content on our website
• You represent that you have the right to submit the content
• You agree that your content may be edited for clarity or length

See our Terms of Service for complete details on user submissions.

7. Third-Party Content

We may link to or reference third-party content. We do not claim ownership of third-party content and respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe we have used your copyrighted material improperly, please see Section 9 (DMCA).

8. Fair Use

We may use copyrighted material under the doctrine of fair use for purposes such as:

• Criticism and commentary
• News reporting
• Teaching and education
• Research and scholarship

We make good faith efforts to use only what is necessary and to provide proper attribution.

9. DMCA Compliance

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect our users to do the same. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide our Copyright Agent with the following information:

• An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner
• A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed
• A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the website (URL)
• Your address, telephone number, and email address
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf

10. Permission Requests

If you would like to use our content beyond what is permitted in Section 3, please contact us with:

• Description of the content you wish to use
• How you intend to use it
• Where it will be published/displayed
• Your contact information

We are generally supportive of educational and non-commercial uses that help promote Mithila culture. Commercial uses may require a licensing agreement.

11. Open Educational Resources

We may designate certain content as Open Educational Resources (OER) under Creative Commons or similar licenses. Such content will be clearly marked with the applicable license. Unless specifically marked otherwise, all content is protected by standard copyright.

12. Trademarks

"Mithila Universe" and our logo are trademarks. You may not use these marks without our prior written permission, except to refer to our website in a factual manner.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Copyright & Attribution policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.

14. Contact Us

For questions about copyright, attribution, or permissions: