This article was co-written by Alexandre Leforestier and Romane Babault.
Hello, I'm Romane. I am a writer on Panodyssey. Thanks to the "contribution" functionality proposed by the platform, I was able to translate Alexandre's article on the author's name into English for our English-speaking friends and others. 

Procedures for adopting an author’s name on Panodyssey

This article refers to the Panodyssey’s doctrine and it is part of the internal regulations. This is only for informational purposes.

Eligible individuals

An individual may choose to use an author’s name on Panodyssey.

Panodyssey allows the use of an author’s name to its users wishing to read or publish content, but also to open their wallet. In fact, each user can make or receive donations, which is a pledge of solidarity on the platform that we give attention to during our assessment of the author’s name requests.

This point is in line with one of the fundamental principles of Panodyssey: the systematic identification of authors. On Panodyssey, no one is hiding!

Reasons for the request

You may choose an author’s name among several possibilities.

- For example, the author’s name is protected as a trademark, having already been the subject of a declaration to the INPI by the individual holder.

- Moreover, there are cases where the user wishes to use an open access author’s name that has never been declared. The assessment performed by Panodyssey is based on an analysis of the risks generated by the publication of content under the user’s surname. These risks can have a political or economic dimension, or even relate essentially to the private sphere.

However, the use of an author’s name is governed by legal provisions and by Panodyssey’s internal regulations, which guide the assessment of the request.

Limits to the use of an author’s name

Indeed, all freedom comes with a duty. Here, we have to comply with the law. Panodyssey has developed internal rules in order to create this ecosystem of mutual respect and value creation.

Legal provisions

The details below do not constitute an exhaustive description of the legal rules in force and should only be considered as general cases regulated by law.

The author’s name:

- Must not conflict with public order

- Must not appropriate the reputation of a person or attribute the kinship to one or more works

- Must not impersonate another person or user

- Must not be defamatory

- Must not constitute an incitement to hatred or violence

Peculiarities of the Rules of Panodyssey

Panodyssey has established rules regarding the adoption of an author’s name.

The author’s name:

- May not constitute a targeted provocation. In fact, we pay attention to respect within the communities created on Panodyssey

- Must be fit into one of the aforementioned cases appearing in the paragraph “Reasons for the request”

Panodyssey’s main principle is that each author must publish under his own name, except in the cases mentioned above.

Author’s Name Request Procedure and Terms

Panodyssey’s assessment is based on an analysis of the reasons for the request and contextual elements, in particular the user’s participation in the donation program.

However, this use must be the subject of a legitimate request, which will be processed by the legal department of Panodyssey.

To make this request, the user must follow the procedure for obtaining the author’s name on Panodyssey. Indeed, to adopt an author name on Panodyssey, the user must provide additional information to support his or her request.  To do so, the user must send an email to legal@panodyssey.com containing the following information: his full name, the author's name subject of the request, and a valid identity document (ID Check).

In addition, for legal data protection reasons resulting from National and European regulations, the real identity is kept in a confidential and secure manner by Panodyssey. In other words, your ID is not stored. Be careful, the author's name cannot substitute for the birth name. That is why we require that the user wishing to use an author name make a written request by email under his full name. 

Panodyssey is fully committed to protecting its authors. Furthermore, as a content sharing service operator, Panodyssey may be required to disclose the full name only in the event of a complaint. It is not possible to derogate from this legal obligation. 

Photo by Chris Yang on Unsplash