Glossary
attribution requirement
An attribution requirement is a term-of-use clause conditioning reuse on visible credit - a live hyperlink, a named citation or a fixed notice string. RAWG demands an active hyperlink wherever its game data appears, Google Trends requires crediting Google, and the NVD mandates an exact non-endorsement notice.
What is an attribution requirement?
It is compliance text with teeth: republishing the data without the prescribed credit breaches terms even when the data itself is free. The forms vary across this slice's sources.
RAWG Video Games Database API 'requires an active hyperlink attribution wherever RAWG data appears'. Google Trends reuse requires attributing information to Google, e.g. 'Data source: Google Trends'. GDELT Project 2.0 expects each use to include a citation and a link to gdeltproject.org, VGChartz requires a reference citation, and StatCounter OS Market Share figures must be credited to Statcounter under commercial delivery terms-SA 3.0. TIOBE permits reproduction only when crediting www.tiobe.com.
Why does an attribution requirement matter when choosing a dataset?
Government sources add a different flavour - the non-endorsement notice. The Census Bureau Data API requires 'This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau', and the NVD CVE & CPE feeds require the parallel NVD notice while barring attribution of altered data back to NVD.
The buyer consequence is operational, not legal theory: attribution strings must render wherever data surfaces - apps, dashboards, PDF exports - and altered NVD data cannot keep the NVD credit at all. Products that strip notices during export are non-compliant by design, and teams inheriting a data pipeline inherit its attribution debts.
How do you evaluate attribution requirements in a source?
- Capture exact strings. NVD and Census prescribe verbatim notices; paraphrase breaks compliance.
- Check link liveness. RAWG's requirement is an active hyperlink, so test that credits survive your rendering pipeline.
- Map attribution to every output channel. Dashboards, CSV exports and embedded widgets each need the credit visible.
- Respect alteration clauses. Modified NVD data may not be attributed back to NVD - plan labelling for derivative products.
- Bundle license checks with rate limits. Sources pairing free access with credit duties usually attach usage caps too; review them together.
Related terms
- cc-by-license - the formal license family built around attribution.
- freemium-api-tier - tiered access often bundling credit obligations.
- moderator-only-access - a stricter gate than mere credit.
Sector hubs: interactive-home-entertainment data, interactive-media-services data.
Frequently asked questions
What does an attribution requirement oblige me to display?
Whatever the provider specifies: RAWG wants an active hyperlink wherever its data appears, Google Trends wants 'Data source: Google Trends' style credit, and NVD and the Census Bureau API mandate exact non-endorsement notice strings.
Can I modify attributed data and keep the credit?
Not always. The NVD terms bar attributing altered data back to NVD, while sources like StatCounter allow reuse with credit under commercial delivery terms-SA 3.0 - check each clause.
Datasets containing this field
Datasets containing attribution requirement
6 datasets carry attribution requirement in the catalog. Open one, count the fields, judge for yourself.
Chrome UX Report (CrUX)
largest_contentful_paint · interaction_to_next_paint · cumulative_layout_shift …+3 more
Common Crawl Web Corpus
GDELT Project 2.0
itch.io Indie Games Browse
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