Artist’s depiction of SCP-111 ( Wolfeusz Woofer (kasztan) 07/29/17). Image is CC BY-SA 3.0.

SCP-111, titled “Dragonsnails,” was created by WikiDot user Adam Henderson and published on the SCP Wiki in May 2012. The article gained significant popularity, resulting in translations across 13 languages.^[1]https://scpper.com/page/13376002

Copyright Infringement Case

Origin and Discovery

Like many early SCPs, SCP-111 utilized and was based upon proprietary images and copyright-protected images and sculptures, these titled “Dragonsnails” by DeviantArt artist EriewolfCreations (Erin Metcalf), originally posted in 2009.^[2]https://www.deviantart.com/eirewolfcreations/art/DragonSnails-1st-Sight-Kinoko-132389179 The image used in SCP-111 had been modified to remove the artist’s watermark and copyright notice from the upper right corner. The copyright violation was discovered by the artist in 2012, who subsequently published a statement on their DeviantArt page expressing disappointment about the unauthorized use and alteration of their work.^[3]https://archive.ph/wKZzr

Response and Resolution

The issue was brought to SCP Wiki staff’s attention in October 2013.^[4]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-469985/scp-111#post-1873183 Staff initiated a discussion addressing the uncredited use of the image and acknowledged the artist’s grievances.^[5]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails They contacted both the artist and Adam Henderson regarding written permission.^[6]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1873388 As a precaution, the image was temporarily removed pending resolution.^[7]https://archive.fo/Esf0b#selection-2075.0-2075.14

Erin Metcalf responded to the staff inquiry, expressing willingness to permit use of the image under specific conditions: retention of the watermark, proper attribution, and inclusion of a link to her website.^[8]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875682 These conditions were implemented, and the image was restored with proper attribution.^[9]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875686^[10]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-469985/scp-111#post-1875695

Final Removal

In 2019, the Dragonsnails image was ultimately removed from SCP-111.^[11]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-111, see Edit History, rev 41 The removal was part of an initiative to make the SCP Wiki entirely CC-compliant, and to respect the original creator’s intellectual property rights, as the sculptures were not released under Creative Commons licensing.^[12]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-469985/scp-111#post-4390462 This initiative also affected numerous other SCP articles including SCP-049, SCP-106, and SCP-914.

A new, custom-made CC image was added back to the article in February 2022.^[13]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-111, rev. 43

Legacy and Policy Impact

Cultural and Legal Significance

The Dragonsnails incident represented a pivotal legal and cultural turning point for the SCP Wiki, initiating lasting awareness regarding intellectual property rights and content usage.^[14]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1873491

Policy Changes

Prior to this incident, the SCP community had established informal practices that included:

1. Basing SCP articles on striking internet images without permission
2. Removing watermarks from copyrighted images to enhance realism and immersion

Evidence of these practices appears in SCP-804’s edit history, which notes a change on August 26, 2011 described as “Updated with watermark-less image.”^[15]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-804

The Dragonsnails incident prompted several significant policy changes:

1. Official discouragement of watermark removal^[16]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1873503^[17]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875348
2. Restoration of watermarks to previously altered images^[18]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875349^[19]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875501^[20]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-710825/archived-dragon-snails#post-1875508
3. Initiation of broader discussions about intellectual property in the “Pictures, watermarks, and attribution” thread^[21]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-713000/pictures-watermarks-and-attribution
4. Development of official image use policies^[22]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/image-use-policy
5. The first systematic effort to remove non-compliant images^[23]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-713000/pictures-watermarks-and-attribution#post-1875959
6. Collective addressing of intellectual property concerns regarding SCP-173’s image^[24]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-713000/pictures-watermarks-and-attribution#post-1876075

Trivia

• Wikidot user Fantem was the individual who first brought Erin Metcalf’s post to staff’s attention.^[25]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-469985/scp-111#post-1873183
• SCP-111 was the dawning of legal awareness regarding the SCP Wiki and its history.
• The sequence of events set in motion by SCP-111 ultimately saw the removal of SCP-173’s image from the article in .^[26]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-173, rev.47