The KanjiLearn program, including HTML, JavaScript and VBScript source code, but excluding its data, is copyrighted by Jean-Pascal Chauvet with the following terms: you can use it, look at its source code, copy it, enhance it as long as it is not for commercial usage.
The KanjiLearn data come from several sources:
 | The KANJIDIC file, for frequency codes, stroke counts, radicals, pinyin reading, four
corner code and meanings. KANJIDIC is copyrighted by James William Breen under the
conditions described below. |
| The EDICT file, for sample word readings and meanings. EDICT is copyrighted by James
William Breen under the conditions described below. |
| The book         
published by    for grades, orthodox
characters, and kanji readings. I have no idea what is and what is not copyrighted in that
book (which is, by the way an excellent book, especially if you want to write kanji
properly). |
| Jean-Pascal Chauvet, for the choice of sample words (a very subjective choice). |
This licence statement and copyright notice applies to the KANJIDIC file, the associated documentation files (KANJIDIC.DOC), and any data files which are derived from them.
Copyright over the documents covered by this statement is held by James William BREEN,
subject to the exceptions outlined below.
The following people have granted permission for material for which they hold copyright to
be included in the files, and distributed under the above conditions, while retaining
their copyright over that material:
Jack HALPERN: The SKIP codes and Frequency codes in the KANJIDIC file.
With regard to the SKIP and Frequency codes, Mr Halpern stated as follows: "The
commercial utilization of the frequency numbers is prohibited without written permission
from Jack Halpern. Use by individuals and small groups for reference and research purposes
is permitted, on condition that acknowledgment of the source and this notice are
included.". "SKIP is protected by copyright, copyleft and patent laws. The
commercial utilization of SKIP in any form is strictly forbidden without the written
permission of Jack Halpern, the copyright holder."
Christian WITTERN and Koichi YASUOKA: The Pinyin information in the KANJIDIC file.
Urs APP: the Four Corner codes and the Morohashi information in the KANJIDIC file.
Mark SPAHN and Wolfgang HADAMITSKY: the kanji descriptors from their dictionary.
Charles MULLER: the Korean readings.
This licence statement and copyright notice applies to the EDICT file, the associated documentation files (EDICT.DOC), and any data files which are derived from them.
Dictionary copyright is a difficult point, because clearly the first lexicographer who published "inu means dog" could not claim a copyright violation over all subsequent Japanese dictionaries. While it is usual to consult other dictionaries for "accurate lexicographic information", as Nelson put it, wholesale copying is, of course, not permissable. What makes each dictionary unique (and copyrightable) is the particular selection of words, the phrasing of the meanings, the presentation of the contents (a very important point in the case of EDICT), and the means of publication. Of course, the fact that for the most part the kanji and kana of each entry are coming from public sources, and the structure and layout of the entries themselves are quite unlike those in any published dictionary, adds a degree of protection to EDICT.
The advice I have received from people who know about these things is that EDICT is just as much a new dictionary as any others on the market. Readers may see an entry which looks familiar, and say "Aha! That comes from the XYZ Jiten!". They may be right, and they may be wrong. After all there aren't too many translations of neko. Let me make one thing quite clear, despiteconsiderable temptation (Electronic Books can be easily decoded), NONE of this dictionary came from commercial machine-readable dictionaries. I have a case of RSI in my right elbow to prove it.
Please do not contribute entries to EDICT which have come directly from copyrightable sources. It is hard to check these, and you may be jeopardizing EDICT's status.
This page 
was last updated by JP on 11/30/98.