Wikipedia

Wikipedia:Copyright problems

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Iorsh (talk | contribs) at 14:46, 20 March 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.


Template:Communitypage Add links to pages that you suspect of being copyright infringements here. If you list a page here, be sure to follow the instructions in the "Copyright infringement notice" section below. Page titles should stay listed for a minimum of 7 days before a decision is made.

See also: Wikipedia:Votes for deletion, Wikipedia:Deletion policy, Wikipedia:Copyrights, Wikipedia:Copyright violations on history pages, Wikipedia:Image description page, Wikipedia:Request for immediate removal of copyright violation, Wikipedia:Confirmation of permission, Wikipedia:Sites that use Wikipedia for content, m:Do fair use images violate the GFDL?

Alternatives

In addition to nominating potential copyvios for deletion, you could:

  • Replace the article's text with new (re-written) content of your own: This can be done on a temp page, so that the original "copyvio version" may be deleted by a sysop. Temp versions should be written at a page like: [[PAGE NAME/temp]]. If the original turns out to be not a copyvio, these two can be merged.
  • Write to the owner of the copyright to check whether they gave permission (or maybe they in fact posted it here!).
  • Ask for permission - see wikipedia:boilerplate request for permission, Wikipedia:Confirmation of permission

If you believe Wikipedia is infringing your copyright, you may choose to raise the issue using Wikipedia:Request for immediate removal of copyright violation. Alternatively, you may choose to contact Wikipedia's designated agent under the terms of the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act.

Remove the text of the article, and replace it with the following:

{{msg:copyvio1}}
(place URL of allegedly copied material here)
{{msg:copyvio2}}
~~~~

where you replace "URL" with the Web address (or book or article reference) that contains the original source text.

Notice for images

This image is a possible [[Wikipedia:Copyrights|copyright infringement]] and should therefore not be used by any article. <explain reason for suspicion here>

This image is now listed on [[Wikipedia:Possible copyright infringements]]. To the poster: If there was permission to use this image under terms of our [[Wikipedia:Text of the GNU Free Documentation License|license]] or if you are its copyright holder, then please indicate so here (click ''Edit this page'' in the sidebar) - see our [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|image use policy]] for tips on this. NOTE: deletion will occur about one week from the time this page title was placed on the Votes for deletion page.

It also should be noted that the posting of copyrighted material that does ''not'' have the express permission from the copyright holder is possibly in violation of applicable law and of our [[Wikipedia:Copyright|policy]]. Those with a history of violations may be temporarily [[Special:Ipblocklist|suspended]] from editing pages. If this is in fact an infringement of copyright, we still welcome any original contributions by you.

If you believe that this image may be used by Wikipedia and by all sublicensees under the [[fair use]] doctrine, then please add a detailed ''fair use rationale'' as described on [[Wikipedia:Image description page]] to justify this belief.

Thanks, ~~~~

Amazon copyrights

Possible copyright violation in Page History

March 9

March 10

  • Biafra (Image:Biafra2.gif appears to be the one at [9]] whose conditions prohibit us, even before GFDL issues.) Removed from article as Copyvio & discussed on article's talk. No notice put on image page, but i'll look that up too. --Jerzy(t) 00:48, 2004 Mar 10 (UTC)
  • Philip Crosby from [13] (note that it's not about the musician, but a less famous Philip Crosby) andy 20:46, 10 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Hunt Museum, from [19] - Seth Ilys 23:21, 10 Mar 2004 (UTC) Fixed. Have added a stub on a sub-page, use this. Can someone take it from here? I've visited the place, so my contrib was done without reference to anything but reality :o) Nice museum BTW. Zoney 18:23, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 11

The text consisted of this: Martin Gray is an anthropologist and photographer specializing in the study of sacred sites and pilgrimage traditions around the world. --in its entirety. Wetman 23:09, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
Which is an exact copy of the only block of text on the website linked at the bottom of the short article. A dubious copyvio I know but still a copyvio. -- Graham  :) | Talk 13:48, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Oval Office from [22] - Rebrane 05:34, Mar 11, 2004 (UTC)
    • Under the Federal Copyright Act material that is originated by the U.S. federal government is not subject to copyright. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, everything on the white house website is public domain. --Jiang 06:10, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Image:Logo-nasa-800px.png The NASA logo cannot be used on non NASA sponsored websites, See [28], Item number 2Theon 19:29, Mar 11, 2004 (UTC)
    • This has nothing to do with copyright. This is a trademark issue. I don't believe NASA has anything valid to sue about if we use their logo in an article about them. However, it might be an idea to get official permission nonetheless. —Morven 20:57, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • I think its pretty clear from the Terms of Use I provided above, you need permission to use the logo wether or not its copyright or trademark. However, I think that Lupo's suggestion that a picture of the patch say on a uniform would be fair use. The logo can only be used on nasa sponsored merchandise, but a picture of said merchandise would be fair game.Theon 14:39, Mar 13, 2004 (UTC)
        • If the picture containing the image of the patch with the logo was public domain, you wouldn't even need to argue "fair use". Taking a cut-out of a PD image is perfectly fine. Lupo 10:59, 15 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • See Wikipedia:Logos. --Jiang
    • Or replace it with a picture of a patch showing the logo, as available from e.g. [29]. Lupo 08:40, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I rewrote the article at Eugene Boudin/Temp. Perl 21:32, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 11-12

March 12

  • FIRST Frenzy: Raising the bar: stated it was copyrighted in the content of the article itself
    • As far as i can tell, unless the text itself is copyrighted, the the images and animations should both be fine - the'y external links. they should be grouped together as external links, i think. none of the copyrighted material is hosted by Wiki, its only linked to. Crackshoe 00:09, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I hadn't noticed text was duplicated directly from other source. should be deleted or rewritten, or permission sought. Crackshoe 01:01, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)


  • Amaroli, from [37] - Seth Ilys 03:36, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • I am looking and I don't see the copyvio. What exactly is the copyvio text. -- Quinwound 03:35, Mar 12, 2004 (UTC)
  • Total return swap from [41] (no copyright info found, but my browser displays the parent pages as gobbledygook), or partly from this big PDF, which is copyrighted according to [42]. Lupo 10:28, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • Revert to my last edit? Dysprosia 11:58, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • But then the large copyvio version was still in the history. Isn't that to be avoided? Lupo 11:01, 15 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Not sure if this is the place to post this, but it appears that this page: [[43]] is an exact copy of the Wikipedia article on Chinese characters. I don't believe, given that the page in question reproduces the article in total, including the headings and "see also" links, that the Wikidpedia artcile was plaigiarized, but rather the other way around. What happens in a case like this? Exploding Boy 10:55, Mar 12, 2004 (UTC)
    • Isn't that a GFDL-compliant copy of the encyclopedia? Links to GFDL and wikipedia.org at the bottom. Should they do anything more? Lupo 11:06, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
woops, didn't notice that. Carry on. Exploding Boy 11:19, Mar 12, 2004 (UTC)
  • 12 steps, from [52] - 145.254.53.57 15:03, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • I disagree. This text is so widely used it would be hard to prove copyright from one particular source. Graham  :) | Talk 15:27, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Tintype from [57] - source site states: "The following paragraphs are quoted from: ICP Encyclopedia of Photography / Pound Press, Inc. 1984" -- Hadal 22:02, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Infancy Gospel of Thomas, from [58] - Seth Ilys 22:05, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • I have spent several hours working on this text, and here it is being suppressed by User:Seth Ilys. Where is the text now, Seth Ilys, so that I may continue working on it and bring it into line with your requirements? A quote in quotation marks from a source that listed in External links is not copyvio. And text is not usually immediately suppressed like this. I suspect there is an ideological problem, no? Can someone speak to Seth Ilys about the problems he's creating here? Look up and down this listWetman 00:05, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • I have absolutely no ideological objections to the content. The original posting is available through "Page history." The article was quite well-written and would be Wikipedia-worthy if large portions of it weren't lifted directly from the source sited above. The first paragraphs seemed to be original work, but the final two paragraphs (with the exeception of the last half of the last sentence), are copied verbatim from the original work of Geoff Trowbridge, and thus constitute plagiarism. -- Seth Ilys 00:24, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • Perhaps you need a refresher on what copyright infringement and plagiarism are: if you do not quote and cite the sources, or paraphrase the information in your own words, then you are violating copyright rules. Text is immediately suppressed like this if it is an obvious copyright infringement. Unless you own the copyright (or you have spoken and received permissoin from the copyright holder), you cannot perform those actions. ugen64 00:30, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)
  • USS Lunga Point (CVE-94), from [59] - Seth Ilys 22:13, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • Public domain text from DANFS. Actually copied and pasted from the Naval Historical Center Site. David Newton 22:32, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • Is there somewhere we can note this down, since people report DANFS content here seemingly weekly? —Morven 22:34, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • David Newton is correct. Mea culpa, it's not a copyvio, but is a quote from a US fed govt document and therefore public domain. -- Seth Ilys 22:42, 12 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 13

The Notice on the site from which the information was gathered for this article is:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/avis-notice_E.asp

the Notice states with regard to material, other than photos, drawings and artistic material, that:

Information on this site has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Parks Canada Agency. We ask only that:

Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; The Parks Canada Agency be identified as the source department; and, The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Parks Canada Agency.

The National Capital Commission site is not the original source and the notice is not relevant. The information on that site is a link to the Parks Canada site where the information actually resides. The above notice is on the Parks Canada site which gives free use of the text material. This article was not derived from: http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/attractions/official_residences/laurierhouse_e.html


      • Right, that licence means we can't use it because it would be incompatible with the GFDL. Morwen 21:55, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)
  • Grand Trunk Railroad was based on an article from [65], it has since been modified by several users but should probably be deleted. - SimonP 03:56, Mar 13, 2004 (UTC)
    • It's from the Canadian government website [66]. I personally do not know the copyright status of such works.. Yes copyvio. -- Decumanus 04:24, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 14

  • Image:Green_Haven_Prison.jpg (Sorry for the external link - haven't figured out how to link to image pages yet without the image appearing) - I got this pic off of the LOC site. The credits say ""New prison, second in size to Sing Sing, Green Haven, N.Y. / Acme." 1941 Oct. 7. From the Collections of Encyclopedia Britannica, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress." - so does that mean that its LOC/public domain or that it's copyrighted by EB? →Raul654 01:16, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)
  • Image:Sherlock holmes stamp.jpg - dated 1979, therefore definitely still in copyright; post offices don't like unauthorised stamp reproductions (understandably). -- ChrisO 12:10, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • I'd always been unhappy about that stamp on the Sherlock Holmes page and had been meaning to add Pagest illustrations for quite some time. However, the stamp was added by User:Isis who frequently made complaints against other users about copyright violation. I would therefore be suprised if there was a copyright issue with this stamp. Mintguy (T) 12:42, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Oregon Legislative Councel's opinion on gay marriage. It's a US state government document, and therefore could be copyrighted -- but I'm not 100% sure on this. Erring on the side of caution, I've listed it here, in the hopes that someone might be able to clarify the status. At the very least, it should be moved over to Wikisource. -- Seth Ilys 20:42, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • Judging from this news story the legislative opinion was a work product of an employeed delivered to legislators, at least one of whom then made an authorized press release including the letter. As a press release fair use is exteremely broad and that status is significantly enhanced by the great public interest in this subject. Use by us and a broad range of reusers under fair use and fair dealing and related provisions in other jurisdictions is unlikely to be problematic. A copy at wikisource, linked from this after cleanup and time has reworked it into an article would be ideal. It's too important a subject to simply move, since it is part of the ongoing debate over a possible amendment to the US Constitution. Jamesday 21:29, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • Well, if we're going to keep it, can we get the spelling right? RickK | Talk 23:37, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 15

  • Melbourne International Comedy Festival was a copy/paste from [91] -- Tom- 13:21, 15 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • The first paragraph - that you deleted is not an infringement - as I just wrote it - and have pasted it back on the page in question. Apologies as I was unaware that pasting a quote and one paragraph could constiture copyright infringement when posted with a source - surely this is 'fair use' *shrug* Catscratch 13:30, Mar 15, 2004 (UTC)

March 16

  • Riley E. Dunlap, from [102]. It's conceivable that the original author may have been submitting this to Wikipedia, but I see no evidence to support that possibility... -- Seth Ilys 07:55, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Image:Cat in pint.jpg
    • Eric/Eloquence claims this could be a copyright infringement. It's one of those images that has popped up on a bunch of websites, so verification is more-or-less impossible. →Raul654 21:26, Mar 16, 2004 (UTC)

March 17

  • Automatic Electric is 6 pages copied out of a book, according to a statement at the end of the article. ike9898
    • Copyvio notice posted only today. Muriel 12:44, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Derbent was copied from [117]. Isomorphic 19:48, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • Submitter now says he has permission to use this from the copyright holder. Not sure what to do now. Isomorphic 01:15, 18 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 18

  • Double Dose from [127] - unclear case, as the text is a total copy/paste of the "press kit" section of the band's website. -- Hadal 08:52, 18 Mar 2004 (UTC)


March 19

  • Image:JavaLogo.png can only be used by Sun and its operating companies according to [140]. Alternate images are available for third party use but permission must be requested first (see [141]). RedWolf 02:47, Mar 19, 2004 (UTC)
    • Proper use of corporate and brand logos is fair use according to Wikipedia:logos. Sun can't do anything about fair use. I'm not saying this use is proper though, and I'm not going to argue about this image getting removed - all I did myself was updating the logo already in place to a version with higher quality.Fredrik 14:25, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Phi Sigma Kappa. The first paragraph is from [142]. The entire rest of the article is the frat's creed, which could be considered something to be moved to wikisource, but I just think dump the whole thing. RickK | Talk


  • Ludwig Boltzmann from [145]. The original version [146] is a cut-n-paste from from the web site at U St Andrews. A lot of additional work has been done, but if I'm not mistaken that's just too bad because an edited version of a copyvio is still a copyvio. What can we do to salvage the stuff original to WP? Shall we just copy the bits that don't appear to be copied from elsewhere and make that a new stub? I'd really like to preserve something here, Boltzmann is really important and it would be a drag to have to start over. Please advise, Wile E. Heresiarch 06:42, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • PS: I got a message from one of the St Andrew's biographical web site's authors (see my user page) and, nope, WP does not have permission to copy. Tracking down copyvios from that one site (it's really terrific) is an ongoing problem, sadly!
  • Image:04-grammy-awards 006.jpg from [147]; the precise location is [148]. That site is copyrighted, but probably doesn't hold the copyright on this picture. I suspect the copyright actually is with the broadcasting station: it's been taken at the Grammy Awards event on Feb 8, 2004 and is probably a screenshot of the TV broadcast. Would that be a copyvio, fair use in the context of Madonna, or what? Lupo 09:17, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Page Human eye JeffBobFrank 01:42, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
    • Moved from speedy deletions - Texture 16:06, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • Not a candidate for speedy deletion. theresa knott 10:24, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
      • What about the apparent copyright notice at the bottom? --zandperl 11:24, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
        • We don't speedy delete copyvios. This page is a good example as to why not. It looks to me like the author has copied the info from his own website and put it here.Which he has every right to do. The page should be listed on Wikipedia:Possible copyright infringements instead. theresa knott 11:53, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Alfred Newman from [150] - deleted as copyvio once before, it has been recreated as a cut-and-paste from a new online source. - Texture 17:31, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)
  • Kaneshiro Takeshi is a direct cut & paste from the entry in IMDB.com (under Takeshi Kaneshiro). MK 20:06, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)

March 20

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Copyright_problems&oldid=2843508"