Legal & transparency
Legal Notice &
AI Transparency
Last updated: July 2026
This page explains the editorial nature of Legends Database, its use of synthetic imagery and the status of its interactive features.
Clear disclosure: all player, coach and personality portraits displayed on this website are synthetic artistic interpretations generated by artificial intelligence. They are not photographs.
Nature and Purpose of This Website
Legends Database (legendsdatabase.com) is an independent, non-commercial editorial project dedicated to the history of football. It operates as a digital reference work — comparable in purpose to an encyclopedia, almanac, or historical archive — providing curated biographical information, statistical records, editorial analysis, and opinion-based evaluations of historical football figures, teams, and competitions.
This website:
- generates no revenue of any kind: it displays no advertising, sells no products or services, offers no subscriptions or paid features, and solicits no donations;
- is operated by a private individual for informational, educational, cultural, and documentary purposes;
- is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or connected to any football player, coach, club, national federation, league, governing body (including FIFA, UEFA, or any national association), or any of their agents, estates, or licensees.
The non-commercial, editorial, and historical-documentary character of this website is central to its legal posture and is asserted under the freedom-of-expression and freedom-of-information guarantees recognized by Article 21 of the Italian Constitution, Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
AI-Generated Imagery — Transparency Statement
All player, coach, and personality images displayed on this website are entirely synthetic, generated by artificial intelligence systems. They are not photographs.
Specifically:
- No image on this website is, or is derived from, an actual photograph of any real person. Each image is an original, AI-generated artistic interpretation rendered in a deliberately stylized, non-photorealistic visual treatment.
- Images are displayed at small dimensions and with artistic filtering precisely so that they cannot reasonably be mistaken for authentic photographic material.
- No image is intended to, nor is it capable of, deceiving any viewer as to its genuineness or authenticity.
This disclosure is provided pursuant to, and in the spirit of:
- Article 50(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU Artificial Intelligence Act), which requires deployers of AI systems generating image content depicting existing persons to disclose that the content has been artificially generated. Where such content forms part of an evidently artistic or creative work, the Regulation provides that disclosure may be made in an appropriate manner that does not hamper the display or enjoyment of the work. This page, together with contextual labels accompanying the images throughout the website, constitutes that disclosure.
- Italian Law No. 132 of 23 September 2025 ("Disposizioni e deleghe al Governo in materia di intelligenza artificiale"), which requires that content created or modified through artificial intelligence be clearly identified as such. All AI-generated content on this website is so identified. For the avoidance of doubt: the images published here are stylized artistic renderings, openly declared as artificial, published without any intent to deceive as to their genuineness and without causing unjust harm to any person — and therefore fall entirely outside the scope of Article 612-quater of the Italian Criminal Code, which addresses deceptive, non-consensual synthetic content causing unjust damage.
Use of Names and Likenesses — Editorial and Informational Use
The names of football players, coaches, and other historical figures appear on this website solely for purposes of identification, historical documentation, commentary, criticism, and editorial analysis. Such use constitutes:
- nominative / referential use: names are used descriptively to identify the historical subjects of encyclopedic entries, in the same manner as any reference work, sports almanac, history book, or newspaper archive;
- non-commercial editorial use: no name, image, or likeness is used to advertise, promote, endorse, or sell any product or service, and no person's identity is exploited for commercial gain.
Accordingly, this use does not fall within the scope of right-of-publicity statutes and doctrines — which in the United States govern the unauthorized commercial use of name, image, or likeness (NIL) under state law — nor does it constitute false endorsement under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)), as nothing on this website states or implies that any individual sponsors, endorses, or is associated with it.
Under Italian law, the publication of information relating to well-known public figures in connection with their public and professional activity is permitted under Articles 96 and 97 of Law No. 633/1941 and Article 10 of the Civil Code, which expressly allow reproduction connected to facts of public interest, provided it does not prejudice the honour, reputation, or dignity of the person — conditions this website fully respects. Analogous editorial, newsworthiness, and public-interest exceptions are recognized across EU Member State laws and in the right-of-publicity statutes of U.S. states.
Where personal data of public figures is processed (limited to publicly available career and biographical information), such processing is carried out under Article 6(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) — legitimate interest in historical documentation and freedom of expression — in conjunction with the journalistic and academic/artistic expression framework of Article 85 GDPR.
Ratings, Rankings, and Editorial Evaluations
All numerical ratings, overall scores, rankings, attribute assessments, personality descriptions, and comparative evaluations published on this website are subjective editorial opinions of the website's curator, based on historical research and analysis. They are expressions of opinion protected as free speech and editorial commentary. They do not purport to be objective facts, official statistics, or assessments endorsed by any person depicted or by any football organization.
Trademarks and Third-Party Rights
All product names, club names, competition names, logos, and brands referenced on this website are the property of their respective owners. Any reference to them is made solely for identification and descriptive purposes (nominative fair use) and does not imply affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement. This website does not reproduce official club crests, competition logos, kit designs, or other protected visual trademarks.
Historical statistics and factual data (dates, match results, appearance and goal counts) are facts in the public domain and are not subject to copyright.
Interactive and Simulation Features
Match simulations, tournaments, and other interactive features on this website are works of fiction and entertainment. Simulated results, commentary, and narratives are procedurally generated hypotheticals; they do not represent real events, real statements, or real conduct by any person, living or deceased, and no reasonable user could understand them as such.
Good Faith, Notice, and Takedown
This website is operated in good faith with respect for the dignity, honour, and reputation of every individual referenced. Should any person (or their authorized representative, heir, or estate) believe that any content on this website infringes their rights — including rights of image, publicity, privacy, or intellectual property — they are invited to submit a notice to:
Notices should identify the specific content concerned, the right allegedly infringed, and the requester's relationship to the person or work in question. Legitimate requests will be reviewed promptly, and content will be modified or removed where appropriate. This procedure is offered voluntarily and operates in the spirit of notice-and-action frameworks such as Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) and 17 U.S.C. § 512 (DMCA).
No Warranty; Limitation of Liability
Content on this website is provided "as is" for general informational and entertainment purposes. While curated with care, no warranty is given as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any information. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the operator of this website shall not be liable for any damages arising from the use of, or reliance upon, the content published here.
Governing Framework
This website is operated from Italy. Without prejudice to mandatory provisions of applicable law, this notice and any dispute relating to the website are governed by Italian law and the applicable law of the European Union, including Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), and Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (DSA).