Terms of use
These terms explain, in plain language, how you may use the free book and this website.
Effective 2 August 2026. Updated 28 September 2026.
Read, share, adapt
The text and illustrations of When the Machines Were Young are offered under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence. You may copy, print, translate, redistribute, and adapt the work, including commercially, provided that you give appropriate credit, link to the licence, identify changes, and share adaptations under the same licence.
Copyright and related rights can differ by jurisdiction. The licence applies only as far as those rights exist. Nothing here limits uses already permitted by law.
Suggested attribution
Indicate any changes you make.
No endorsement
Reuse must not imply that Nell Watson, Young Machines, or any organisation named on the author page endorses an adaptation, translation, product, or service unless separate written permission has been given.
Information and warranties
The fables and supporting material are provided for education, discussion, and enjoyment. They are not legal, medical, financial, or engineering advice. The site and downloads are provided as available, without warranties to the extent permitted by law.
Children, links, and availability
The site has no accounts, purchases, or public comments. Adults may send private reader notes, as explained in the privacy notice. Adults remain responsible for deciding how linked external material is used with children. External sites have their own terms. Pages, files, and these terms may be corrected or updated as the edition develops.
Copyright concerns
Copyright concerns about material hosted by EthicsNet Ltd: contact Eleanor Watson at nell [at] ethicsnet [dot] com. Include the copyrighted work, the material’s location and your contact details. Postal address: 11 Kingfisher Business Park, Arthur Street, Lakeside, Redditch, B98 8LG, United Kingdom. Telephone: 028 9353 5570.
Corrections
Grown-ups can select a passage in the English book and choose Note, then Suggest an edit, or use the private-note link after a story. For a correction to a download or translated edition, or if the note panel is unavailable, use Nell Watson’s contact page. Please name the edition, format, story or page, and the correction you propose.