How do you "attribute" bitmoji images when selecting a license type?

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jim_the_steam_c
Community Participant

I use bitmoji's in my presentations and they also end up in my canvas pages, quizzes, and other assignments.  I save the bitmoji, and then load it as an image in my class files.  when I upload it, I'm asked to specify a license type.  On the Bitmoji site they really don't specify an attribution method for every bitmoji use.  

They say "Are Bitmoji characters copyrighted?
Bitmoji Avatars are only permitted for personal use and they cannot be used commercially. This means you could use one you've made in personal messages or your personal social media. Also, you cannot sell Bitmoji Avatar products – like a vinyl decal of yours or someone else's Bitmoji."

I distribute all my canvas content under a creative commons or fair use license, and feel that while I can't say the bitmoji image is creative commons, it is, for sure fair use, as a non-commercial image... I have been selecting "This material is subject to an exception - fair Use....", but I'm wondering what others select?

 

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ProfessorBeyrer
Community Coach
Community Coach

That is a great question, @jim_the_steam_c . Snap's Terms of Service section "Rights We Grant You" allows the following:

Snap grants you a worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable, non-exclusive, revocable, and non-sublicensable license to use the Services.

That looks very close to the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license from Creative Commons, but the CC license does not include "non-sublicensable." The Center for Research Libraries has a helpful glossary of terms; this implies that Snap won't allow Bitmoji to be included in a new work that has a less restrictive license.

Bitmoji's brand guidelines are silent on the educational use of avatars. However, they do have a form to request usage beyond what's covered in their terms. I suggest filling it out to see their response.

I used to use Bitmojis but grew dissatisfied with a change in their appearance and switched to Apple's Memojis. Your question inspired me to ask a similar question about those icons, and I found a page in the Apple Education Community that encourages teachers to share their Memojis online.

I am not a lawyer, and if I were I would include the standard disclaimer notices I see on anything a lawyer puts online. 

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