2

I'm developing a mobile app and I'm using GitHub for source code which is set to public, so I can show my friends.

I was using some free icons from www.flaticon.com/home , which required the developer to attribute the authors to the icons.

But I decided to go ahead and just create my own icons and delete all the icons I was using the flaticon, but the problem is in the previous commits on GitHub, the old images of the icons are still visible in my resource folders.

Is this a problem I need to address at all? Do I need to mention anywhere that I WAS using icons from FlatIcon or am I good to just act like it never happened? There is no trace of it left on my current version of the app, and it hasn't been published yet.

Thanks!

edit: I don't know if this is possible but maybe an option would be to just delete every instance of the previous icon images from my github history?

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

No, you don't need to maintain acknowledgements for assets that are no longer in use by the project. As soon as you take out the last of those assets, you can also remove any statements about using them.

Technically, each commit in GitHub should fulfil all the attribution and other copyright-related requirements that the licenses place on you, but that would mean you also couldn't make any errors in that area.

Practically, you should aim that all tags and the head of each public branch fulfills those requirements. If you show good faith in that, then I believe you will be good.

Improve this answer
6
  • Hi, can you clarify a bit on that? What statements about using them do you mean? I was actually going to save creating my "credits" page for the end, and so none of the commits actually have any attribution to the author, just the icons. Does that mean I need to go back to each commit and add a file or something that credits the author of the icon pack?
    – chung
    Apr 6, 2020 at 23:43
  • @chung, no you don't have to alter the history of your repository. As you didn't have the required attribution, you were in violation of the FlatIcon license, but you resolved that by removing the FlatIcons themselves so you can continue as if you never used them in the first place.
    – Bart van Ingen Schenau
    Apr 7, 2020 at 5:35
  • @chung, I would recommend you push up the "credits" page in your planning, so you have a place to easily meet the requirements of third-party components with regards to acknowledgements.
    – Bart van Ingen Schenau
    Apr 7, 2020 at 5:37
  • Thanks, so that's kind of what I'm confused about, you say that I removed the FlatIcons themselves, but I'm still "using" in my git repo right? Or is that not considered "using" icons? And yeah I will next time for sure, I just didn't know I would be changing my idea so I didn't think it was that important :/
    – chung
    Apr 7, 2020 at 14:29
  • @chung, what people use is not your entire git repo, but only a single commit out of it (typically either a tagged commit or the head of a branch). If FlatIcons is not present in the most recent commit, then you can say that you are no longer using FlatIcons.
    – Bart van Ingen Schenau
    Apr 7, 2020 at 19:22

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.