Wikisource: using its texts for an adaptation
Wikisource: hosted works must be free to use for any purpose, commercial included. Contributions released under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL. As of 2026-09-25.
Wikisource hosts source texts that must be free for anyone to use for any purpose, commercial use included.
Contributions are released under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL, which is about the transcriptions and translations volunteers add; the underlying texts are there because they are free.
A translation on Wikisource may carry its own licence, separate from the original work.
1From the library's own pages
can be freely viewed, used, distributed, modified, and exploited by anyone, in any form, and for any purpose (including commercial exploitation)
Wikisource, copyright policy
Unless otherwise noted, all user contributions to Wikisource are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Wikisource, copyright policy
- PolicyHosted works must be free to use for any purpose, commercial included
- PolicyContributions released under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL
- Policy read; no note for readers outside the U.S.Not stated on the page read (2026-09-25)
2The three libraries
| Library | Why texts are free | Own terms | Outside the U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Gutenberg | Books not restricted by U.S. copyright law, usually because the term has expired | Its licence also governs use of the Project Gutenberg trademark | Readers outside the United States are told to check their own country's laws |
| Standard Ebooks | Texts and cover art believed to be in the U.S. public domain | Its own work dedicated to the public domain, so each ebook file is public domain | Not stated on the page read |
| Wikisource | Hosted works must be free to use for any purpose, commercial included | Contributions released under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL | Not stated on the page read |
Inclusion rule. Libraries whose own terms pages were read. Order. The order they are listed in on this site.
A text being free is one question; a particular edition being free is another. Modern introductions, notes, translations and cover art can carry their own rights even when the original book does not.
3Turning the book into episodes
Once the rights in “Wikisource” are settled, SceneMixer describes the adaptation itself like this:
SceneMixer separates the script language from the production language: the output (episode outlines, storyboards, on-screen text) follows your interface language, and target-region localization adapts character names, casting, and scenery for Western, East Asian, Southeast Asian, or Latin American audiences.
SceneMixer, Turn a Novel into a Video Series with AI — “Can I turn a Chinese web novel into an English-language drama?” (read 2026-10-13)
The longest an episode may run: 240 seconds for Short Drama, 300 for TV Series, none for Film.
SceneMixer, Short Drama, TV Series or Film — “What is the episode cap?” (read 2026-10-13)
4Other libraries
Check the term where you live: copyright terms.