Data Distribution

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NOTE: The format and timing of Data Distribution is currently under discussion. Take all information here with a "grain of salt" and see the gcd-board discussions if you have legal concerns.

What is the Data Distribution?

The GCD strives to make its data as available as possible. Along with the website, we also make the raw data that makes up the credits in the GCD available on a semi-regular basis.

GCD Data - The GCD is an original compilation and database which by reason of the selection and arrangement of its contents constitutes an intellectual creation as defined by Copyright Law, and is protected as such. The selection and arrangement of data of each contribution, as well as any original research or writing contained in the contribution, is copyrighted jointly by those who did the original work and the GCD. The data can be used according to our Data License. Dumps of the database are available at http://www.comics.org/download/, if you currently do not have an account with us you will be asked to register first.

What is the format?

Please see the Current Schema page. It is distributed as a .zip file for MySql data plus an uncompressed .sql file for the schema.

How do I get it?

You can download it directly from http://www.comics.org/download/ Visit http://groups.google.com/group/gcd-tech to join the technical discussion list.

How often is it updated?

The live data on the website is updated constantly, the data dump is done inconsistently. The Board of Directors is currently debating the distribution policy, which will establish the intended frequency of the data dump refreshes.

How should I credit the GCD? What rights does the GCD retain? What rights do I have?

The dumps are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license, just as the web site is.

Provisional guidance (to be updated): if you use our data on a web page, you must credit the "Grand Comics Database" by name somewhere on that page in a way that clearly associates it with the data, and you must provide a link back to the site. Usually by making "Grand Comics Database" a link. If the page reflects an object from our database (such as an issue or a series), you should link to the page for that object rather than to our front page. You must also state and provide a link to the license. The GCD Board reserves the right to update and refine this policy. Contact the Board through the [email protected] list for clarifications or guidance on cases that do not fit this description clearly.

Can I get all the covers?

No. We don't claim any copyright on the covers or the scans. All cover images are copyrighted by their respective current copyright holders. Copyrights are typically held by the publisher on work-for-hire properties, by the creator(s) on creator-owned properties, or by a third party in the case of licensed properties. Copyright details at the time of publication can usually be determined from the indicia of comics, but may have changed since that time. The GCD does not track changes in copyright. Due to legal concerns, we do not distribute the cover images or otherwise make them available except as seen in our pages.

Also, please note that you cannot link directly to the covers. As this "leaches" bandwidth from our site only placeholder images will appear if you do so.

Can I get just part of the data?

Yes. If you are logged in, on any issue display page there is a small download icon in the upper right corner of the "Editing" box. This will download the data for just that issue. The data will be a ".gcd" file type, which is tab delimited text. The file will open in Microsoft Excel and some other spreadsheets, and in Notepad.