Twinkle IP Fan Creation Guidelines (Official Release)
Version 2.0 | Published and effective October 31, 2026 Main changes in Version 2.0: Article 08 has been replaced with "AI Use Restrictions," with related amendments to Articles 01, 02, 2-2, 05, 06, and 07. The Traditional Chinese version of this document is the authoritative text; the Japanese and English versions are translations provided for reference only.
These guidelines provide all fans and creators with clear, legally binding guidance for fan works. Anyone creating fan works of any kind based on Twinkle (hereinafter "this IP") must comply with the terms of this document and applicable copyright and other laws.
01Scope & Definitions
Official Materials: Images, videos, voice recordings, 3D models, stream clips, and other assets officially produced by Twinkle.
Fan Works (Derivative Works): Creative works that re-edit, reinterpret, or adapt this IP's characters, story, imagery, or other elements.
Non-Commercial Use: Any activity that does not directly or indirectly generate monetary gain, including free online sharing and social media posts.
Commercial Use: Any activity conducted for profit or in exchange for consideration — for example, selling merchandise, paid stickers, physical sales at events, advertising, or brand partnerships.
Generative AI Function: Any function based on machine learning or generative models that produces images, pixels, sounds, or performances of Twinkle not present in the source material, regardless of the software, app, or platform it is built into. A function that only performs speech-to-text transcription, text translation, or conventional editing such as cropping, cutting and joining, resizing, color grading, composition adjustment, text and sticker overlays, transitions, filters (color and lighting filters that do not redraw the image), volume adjustment and mixing, or speed changes, or that only performs noise reduction that does not reconstruct the human voice or background removal (separating the subject from the background with a segmentation mask, without redrawing the character), is not a Generative AI Function.
AI-Generated Content: A work, or any part of a work, that is created or altered using a Generative AI Function and includes elements of this IP.
02Permitted Forms of Fan Works
Subject to these guidelines, fans may create fan works in the following forms (non-commercial fan works may be published freely under 2-1; commercial fan works require prior written authorization under 2-2):
Illustration, comics, animation, memes, short videos, clips, cosplay, 3D models, music covers/arrangements, written works, and more.
Hand-drawing, digital illustration, video editing, and other creative methods may be used; however, the parts of a work that contain elements of this IP may not be created or altered using a Generative AI Function. See Article 08 for permitted assistive functions and prohibited uses.
2-1. Non-Commercial Fan Works & Publishing
Free to publish without prior application; please include the following notices in the description when posting on any platform:
a. The fan-work tag "#TwinkleFanArt"
b. For stream clips, a link to the source stream
c. A link to an official social media account (e.g. "Twitter https://x.com/vtuber_twinkle")
Failure to include these notices will be treated as a violation of these guidelines; Hatsuhoshi Studio (初星工作室) reserves the right to request corrections or removal. If the creator fails to correct the issue after notice, the work will be treated as infringing and we reserve the right to pursue legal action.
2-2. Commercial Fan Works & Licensing Process
Hatsuhoshi Studio is currently not accepting commercial license applications. The process below applies when applications are being accepted:
Prior written authorization is required. Please submit the following through official channels:
A sample or proposal of the intended work
Expected sales volume/price or business model
Scope, duration, and channels of use
Hatsuhoshi Studio reserves the right to approve, conditionally approve, or deny any request.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, creators may not sublicense authorized fan works to third parties.
If applications reopen in the future, every commercial license agreement will include the AI use restrictions in Article 08. These restrictions remain in effect permanently and do not lapse upon expiration or termination of the license or upon a buyout.
03Scope of Commercial Use
Includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Sale of physical or digital goods (books, merchandise, stickers, in-app purchases, etc.)
Paid downloads, paid viewing, or subscriber-unlocked content
Participation in commercial sales booths (including fan conventions)
Brand partnerships, advertising, or endorsements
If you are unsure whether a use qualifies as commercial, please contact us directly to confirm.
License Term: Scope, use, and validity period are all specified in the licensing agreement.
Early Termination: A creator wishing to terminate a license must notify Hatsuhoshi Studio in writing at least 30 days before the intended termination date; both parties will agree on how to handle existing inventory and usage.
After Expiration or Termination: Both parties shall cease use per the agreement; creators must also stop reselling any products involving official Twinkle materials (unless otherwise agreed).
If a creator breaches the agreement, fails to pay fees on time, or commits any other material breach, Hatsuhoshi Studio may terminate the license immediately and pursue legal action.
05Prohibited Content
Adult or Violent Content: Obscene material, excessive sexual suggestion, extreme gore, or otherwise disturbing content.
Obscene, Defamatory, Discriminatory, or Denigrating Content: Content that insults or demeans any individual or group, or contains misleading depictions.
Political or religious incitement, or content involving piracy, fraud, gambling, drugs, or other illegal elements.
Content that violates the policies of the publishing platform.
Content that splices, cuts together, or otherwise edits material so as to make people believe Twinkle actually said things she never said, or that maliciously distorts her original meaning.
06Use of Official & Third-Party Materials
Official Materials: Official materials may be used in the forms set out in Article 02 of these guidelines. Any modification or change of purpose beyond Article 02 requires separate written consent.
Character Art and Live2D Model: Twinkle's character art and Live2D model are used under rights obtained by the Twinkle side through the commission agreement and are managed centrally by it. Any use must comply with these guidelines or be separately authorized in writing.
Third-Party Materials: If referencing another artist's or photographer's work, you must separately obtain authorization from that rights holder. Hatsuhoshi Studio bears no joint liability for infringement of third-party materials.
07Fair Use of Fan Works
Implied License Principle: For publicly posted non-commercial fan works that comply with these guidelines (including the AI use restrictions in Article 08), Hatsuhoshi Studio may, on a non-commercial basis (e.g. as stream cover art, social media shares, or periodic roundups), reasonably feature the work and credit the creator by name and link, without additional compensation. Twinkle will only use such works on her own social/stream channels and will not sublicense them to any third party.
Creator Objection: If you do not wish your work to be used this way, please contact us via the official email; we will stop using it within 7 days of receiving your notice.
08AI Use Restrictions
To protect creators and Twinkle herself, this IP does not permit the parts of a work that contain elements of this IP to be created or altered using a Generative AI Function (as defined in Article 01).
08-1. Works containing elements of this IP may not be created or altered using a Generative AI Function. This includes, but is not limited to: AI-generated images or video, face swapping and likeness compositing, AI dubbing, AI voice changing and voice cloning, lip-sync manipulation, AI super-resolution (AI upscaling), generative fill or expansion, and AI redrawing. Using AI on Twinkle's character imagery (character art, Live2D, stream footage, or official materials) to produce visuals of Twinkle that do not exist in the source material is prohibited in all cases. In addition, no image or audio material of this IP may be used as a prompt reference, a source for style transfer, or a sample for AI-generated images or voices.
08-2. No one may use AI or any other technology to create voices, images, performances, or statements that could lead people to mistake them for Twinkle herself (such as voice cloning or deepfakes).
08-3. No material of this IP (including character imagery, Live2D models, videos, voice, stream content, and subtitle text) may be used to train, fine-tune, or validate any AI or machine learning model, or to build a dataset for such use, and no model or weights trained or fine-tuned on it may be published. Creators must not actively choose or agree to provide the materials for model training (for example, if a tool or platform offers a training option that can be turned off, turn it off). Violating this item constitutes serious infringement, and Hatsuhoshi Studio will pursue legal action.
08-4. Permitted assistive functions: The following are not Generative AI Functions and may be used when creating fan works: automatic subtitles (speech-to-text), translated subtitles (text translation), noise reduction that does not reconstruct the human voice, editing (cropping, cutting and joining, resizing, color grading, composition adjustment, text and sticker overlays, transitions, filters (color and lighting filters that do not redraw the image), volume adjustment and mixing, speed changes, etc.), and AI background removal (separating the subject from the background with a segmentation mask, without redrawing the character). The following also do not violate this article: beauty retouching applied to the cosplayer themselves in cosplay photos, image processing built into smartphone cameras, and platform features that are applied automatically and cannot be turned off. Creators should turn off any AI voice- or image-altering features that a platform offers and allows to be turned off (such as automatic dubbing or voice translation).
08-5. Scope: These restrictions apply to the parts of a work that contain elements of this IP. They do not apply to backgrounds or text polishing unrelated to this IP, or to text translation or proofreading. The same applies to using AI to help write or polish written works (including fan fiction featuring Twinkle); however, AI may not be used to generate text that impersonates statements by Twinkle herself.
08-6. These restrictions apply to all fan works, including works licensed for commercial use under 2-2.
08-7. Works published before this version: AI-Generated Content publicly released before this version was published on the official website will, in principle, not be pursued, but it must keep or add an "AI-generated" label. However, the following three categories must be taken down: works that use AI to imitate Twinkle's voice or that use AI dubbing, models or weights trained on Twinkle's materials, and AI works sold commercially.
08-8. The text of this official website is open to indexing for search and introduction purposes; this does not grant any license for AI training on character imagery, audiovisual content, voice, or Live2D models.
08-9. If you are unsure whether a use would violate this article, you may ask us first by email through the Contact section; uses approved by Hatsuhoshi Studio in a written reply will not be pursued.
09Handling of Violations & Legal Liability
Works that violate these guidelines will be handled as follows:
Notice to correct → deadline to remove or correct → determination of infringement and legal action.
Serious or repeat violators: Hatsuhoshi Studio may publicly blacklist the individual and decline any future collaboration.
Hatsuhoshi Studio reserves the right to pursue civil or criminal action against infringers.
10Appendix
Legality Warranty: Creators must ensure their works do not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, patent, or other rights. Creators bear sole responsibility for any disputes arising from such infringement.
Governing Law: These guidelines and any related disputes shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of China (Taiwan), with the Taichung District Court as the court of first instance.
Updates: Hatsuhoshi Studio may revise these guidelines at any time due to operational or regulatory changes; the latest version will be published on the official website and take effect immediately.
＊Contact
Commercial licensing (applications currently suspended) / infringement reports: twinkledoraya@gmail.com
Official social accounts: Twitter @vtuber_twinkle｜YouTube @Twinkle_vtuber
Thank you to every fan who loves Twinkle. We hope these guidelines protect the rights of both creators and the official team, and help build a friendlier, more open creative community together!