Copyright + Licensing

This archive sits on top of a public-domain historical work, so it is worth being precise about which layer is whose. The short version: the colours and their names are facts and free; our compositions, writing, and curation are ours and are given away under a permissive licence; the digitisation layer belongs to someone else and is credited. The full method is documented on the methodology page.

What is ours

The following are original work of The Dictionary of Color Combinations (colorcombinations.org), published by Caslon Media:

• The 30 editorial palette compositions — original combinations built with Wada's method, not reproductions of his plates.
• Editorial writing — palette descriptions, colour meanings, usage guidance, collection essays, and the learn/reference articles.
• Curation and structure — the collections, tagging, and site architecture.
• Design and code — layout, typography, components, and the tools.
• Generated imagery — the social and Pinterest cards rendered by this site for each page.

All of it is released under CC BY 4.0. You may copy, adapt, and use it commercially, including for machine-learning training, provided you credit colorcombinations.org. A link back is the simplest way to do that.

What is not ours

• The 348 historical plates. Sanzo Wada's A Dictionary of Color Combinations (1933, six volumes) is in the public domain by age. We claim no rights over it.
• Colour names and hex values are facts. A colour and its name cannot be owned. Use them freely, from us or from anywhere else.
• The digitisation layer belongs to its author. Our plate data derives from mattdesl/dictionary-of-colour-combinations, which is MIT-licensed. If you reuse the plate data, carry that credit: this site for the curation, mattdesl for the digitisation, and Sanzo Wada for the original work.
• Book covers and product images shown beside recommendation and affiliate links identify the item being linked and remain the property of their respective publishers and rights-holders.
• Paintings. Works in the painting palettes are public-domain pieces; each entry records its licence status and its sources on the page itself.

Trademarks

"A Dictionary of Color Combinations" is the title of Sanzo Wada's work as reprinted by Seigensha Art Publishing (2010). This site is an independent reference project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Seigensha Art Publishing or the Wada estate. Other product and company names mentioned are the marks of their respective owners.

Notice and takedown

If you believe material on this site infringes your copyright, email [email protected] with the subject line "Copyright notice" and include:

• The URL(s) of the material in question.
• Identification of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed.
• Your name, address, and a contact email.
• A statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorised by the rights-holder, its agent, or the law.
• A statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the rights-holder or authorised to act on their behalf, together with your signature (electronic is fine).

We acknowledge notices within 5 business days and remove or disable material that is clearly infringing while we look into it. If you believe your material was removed in error, send a counter-notice to the same address and we will reinstate it if the claim does not hold up. These terms are governed by the laws of the Netherlands, consistent with our terms of service.

Contact

Licensing, attribution, or permission questions: [email protected]