Media Usage Policy

Terms of Use for Birds of the World Media Licensing

Thank you for your interest in Birds of the World (BOW) media products. The following policy refers to the BOW scientific illustrations, for digital use only. For information on how to use or cite photos, videos, or sound recordings, follow the link. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology holds electronic copyright for Birds of the World scientific illustrations, while Lynx Edicions holds print copyright. This policy governs digital use only. To obtain right to publish the assets in print, see Lynx Edicions.

BOW and its predecessor publications have established themselves as fundamental resources supporting ornithology and biodiversity research across many disciplines. As modern research methods evolve, BOW’s comprehensive life history data continues to serve emerging analytical approaches.

The BOW platform represents a collaborative achievement, synthesizing contributions from thousands of worldwide experts. Proper citation of this work is essential not only to acknowledge these contributors but also to demonstrate the resource’s scientific impact to potential funders.

Additionally, the BOW enterprise requires significant investment in platform development and maintenance; editorial workflow management; quality control processes; content curation and updates; worldwide customer and research support. To ensure BOW’s sustainability and continued improvement, we aim to:

Understand how our data and media products are being used
Receive appropriate acknowledgment for our and our contributors’ work
Track the scientific impact of the platform
Manage the intellectual property rights of co-owned assets used in BOW

Please review these Terms of Use carefully. Submit your media request on the Lab’s media request form, described below.

OVERVIEW

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology manages electronic copyright for Birds of the World scientific illustrations, while Lynx Edicions holds print copyright. This policy governs digital use only. To obtain right to publish the assets in print, see Lynx Edicions.

Note: Processing time may require several weeks.

LICENSE TERMS

2.1 Basic Terms

Permission and license agreement required
Limited to non-commercial, non-profit research and educational use
One-time use authorization
Maximum 25 illustrations per request
Digital web-resolution files only
Rights are non-transferrable to others
Destroy after first use

2.2 Processing Fee may apply

Processing fee: $75 for 1-5 illustrations
Additional illustrations: $15 each

PERMITTED USES

3.1 Academic Publications

Online-only, peer-reviewed journals
Academic reports and presentations
Journal third-party media policy must be submitted with request***
If journal is open access, CC BY-NC-ND is the only Creative Commons license we will support. This is not to say that open access is the only third-party media policy we support; we will consider others.
If journal appears in print, permission must be obtained from Lynx Edicions.
If journal appears in both print and digital, you’ll need permission from Cornell Lab and Lynx.
Send example of how illustrations will be used.
Approved citation must appear adjacent to illustration

3.2 Research

Academic research with prior review and approval of project
Project description required
Project should be shared with Birds of the World
Projects leveraging large-scale asset use or development of derivative data products may require collaboration.

3.3 Nonprofit Educational Use

Temporary online educational content
Non-permanent displays; no permanent installations or posters
Must meet all standard restrictions
No permanent installations or archives

PROHIBITED USES

4.1 Commercial Activities

Revenue-generating activities
Commercial publications
Marketing materials
Fundraising activities

4.2 Non-academic Publications

Print publications
Non-peer reviewed publications
Consultant reports
Preprints
Press releases
Newspapers
Grant and Fundraising reports

4.3 Digital Platforms

Websites
Web-based platforms
Mobile applications
Online games
Decision-support tools

4.4 Other Prohibited Uses

Machine-assisted data mining
Machine learning applications
Artificial intelligence training
Permanent educational displays
Fundraising materials
Grant proposals

USAGE REQUIREMENTS

5.1 Modifications and Derivative works

No modifications, changes, or alterations may be made to the illustrations or any part thereof. The right to create Derivative Works must be previously authorized and when authorized, is limited to the following:

Scale adjustments permitted
Cropping permitted
Background removal permitted
No other alterations allowed

5.2 Attribution Requirements

Standard format options, unless otherwise determined after discussion with Cornell Lab staff:

“The Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Birds of the World (https://doi.org/10.2173/bow) (illustrated by [artist name])”
“Courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | [illustrated by artist’s name] (https://doi.org/10.2173/bow)”
“Illustration courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, [illustrator name] from Birds of the World (https://doi.org/10.2173/bow)”

5.3 Post-Use Requirements

Destroy assets after first use
Provide publication link/PDF to birds@birdsoftheworld.org
New permission required for subsequent use

COMPLIANCE

6.1 Authorization Process

Submit detailed request via media request intake form
Provide journal third-party media policy, if applicable
Obtain written permission before use
Sign license agreement
Pay required fees

6.2 Rights Reserved

Cornell Lab reserves right to deny use to any applicant
Additional restrictions may apply
Terms subject to change

PRINT PERMISSIONS

For print usage rights, contact Lynx Edicions directly. Joint permission required for publications appearing in both print and online formats.

DERIVATIVE WORKS

Cornell Lab of Ornithology reserves the right to review any derivative works prior to publication and to withdraw permission for data use if these terms are violated.

8.1 Requirements

Be substantively different in purpose and structure from Birds of the World
Must not diminish unique brand and value proposition of Birds of the World
Be used for non-commercial research purposes only
Be reviewed by BOW research support team before publication
Cornell Lab reserves right to request inclusion of mission-aligned data products in BOW platform
Meet all attribution requirements

9 CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY DISCLAIMER

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, with regard to the correctness, reliability, or accuracy of any data or media assets, or otherwise. All BOW data or media assets are provided “as-is.” Neither the Cornell Lab of Ornithology nor its affiliated or related entities or its content providers shall be responsible or liable to any person, firm, or corporation for any loss, damage, injury, claim, or liability of any kind or character based on or resulting from any use of any BOW data or media assets.

10 INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Cornell University, its trustees, officers, employees, and agents, from and against all losses, expenses, damages, and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from your violation of these Terms. You expressly understand and agree Cornell University shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses (even if Cornell has been advised of the possibility of such damages), resulting from your use of any Birds of the World Data Products.

11 ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology endeavors to maintain accurate and up-to-date data at all times. However, if errors or omissions are identified, the user should notify the Cornell Lab of Ornithology so that they may be corrected in future releases of the data.

The Cornell Lab reserves the right to modify these terms and withdraw permission at will or as a result of any violations.