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Wikipedia:Image sleuthing

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zeimusu (talk | contribs) at 14:46, 8 February 2005 (→Image:2100NiMH.JPG). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

What is image sleuthing?

There are many thousands of images on Wikipedia. Most are tagged so that we know where they come from and how they are licensed, but some are mysteries, tagged {{unverified}}, with no obvious way to tell whether we can legally use them or not. Eventually, if we can't find out the source and copyright status of an image, we'll have to delete it. But some of these images are useful or attractive, and are begging to be rescued. That's where the image sleuths come in. The sleuths use any methods they have – from Google Image Search to secret informants met at midnight – to discover the source and copyright status of an image.

How does this work?

Each day, up to three new images may be listed here. Sleuths can then set to work tracking down the origin, copyright and licence terms associated with the image. Information gathered on images found to be under free licences or in the public domain will be moved into the image's description page. If the image is determined to be under a non-free license, or if information cannot be found after one week of searching, the image should be moved into the deletion process and the sleuths will seek a suitable free or public domain replacement.

The sleuths

The following Wikipedians have signed up to be image sleuths.

The assignments

Image:Bronze casting by the Lost Wax Method.jpg

File:Bronze casting by the Lost Wax Method.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 2 to Feb 8
  • Used in Casting
  • Looks home-made to me. The uploader seems to have disappeared. --MarkSweep 07:15, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)
  • It was probably made by a Wikipedian (or Nupedian) and GFDL'ed. But it could be swiped off another site. I say we do a thorough search for evidence of chicanery, and tag it GFDL if it passes our gauntlet. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 21:36, Feb 2, 2005 (UTC)
    • A google image search hasn't yeilded much for me. I'd say GFDL. --MaxPower 14:27, 2005 Feb 7 (UTC)

Image:Camper1.jpg

File:Camper1.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 3 to Feb 9
  • Used in Travel trailer
  • Probably hopeless, but I thought I'd try. . . – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 16:21, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)
    • The article would probably benefit from a couple images rather than this collage anyway. --MaxPower 14:43, 2005 Feb 4 (UTC)
  • A Google search doesn't reveal much. --Bart133 (t) 01:13, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Image:China, Mao (2).jpg

File:China, Mao (2).jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 3 to Feb 9
  • This is an historically important picture (founding of the PRC). We should try to keep it. If we just want another picture of Mao, there are plenty of free ones. Here's one by FDR. --MarkSweep 04:52, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
    • I agree. A fair use claim could certainly be made. But does anyone know if the image is held under copyright or not? What is the status of copyright in China? – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 12:47, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)

Image:Claymore Mine2.jpg

File:Claymore Mine2.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 4 to Feb 10
  • Used in Claymore mine
    • [1] and according to Google image search was on [2]. Everything in Japanese though. Evil Monkey∴Hello? 00:30, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)
      • (Hot-diggity, he's fast! Ladies and gentlemen, don't blink or you'll miss him!) – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 00:37, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)
        • heheh. Just got lucky as they were all on Google Image search. Evil Monkey∴Hello? 00:42, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)
  • So any further info on the copyright source? It's an informative image, for sure. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 02:03, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

Image:Clara Peller.jpg

File:Clara Peller.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 4 to Feb 10

[4]. Not sure if its the original source though. Evil Monkey∴Hello? 00:40, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

  • There appears to be two images around the web of her: [5] and [6], and maybe this one [7]. I don't know where either comes from, but the first is maybe a publicity photo of some sort. It certainly shows her in her most famous context. --MaxPower 14:59, 2005 Feb 4 (UTC)
    • She is in [8] that movie. I don't suppose anyone has it to get a screen cap? Hah. --MaxPower 15:02, 2005 Feb 4 (UTC)
  • If we can't find the source, I say we replace it with the Wendy's ad (which is certainly fair use) – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 19:28, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)


Image:Cyanocorax.jpg, Image:Crow.jpg, et al. (Feb. 5–11)

Now at /Bird lithographs by Steve nova

Image:DUVALIER.jpg

File:DUVALIER.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 5 to Feb 11
  • Used in François Duvalier
  • Seen at a number of places, [9], edited form at [10]. But these don't seem to be the original source. — Zeimusu | Talk 13:24, 2005 Feb 6 (UTC)
  • I've done about as thorough a search as I know how on the Internet, and I can't find the original source. I also can't find an alternate PD image of Papadoc. Would a fairuse claim be appropriate? – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 19:04, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

Image:D.520.jpg

Sleuthing from Feb 5 to Feb 11

That website claims to be closed, because the images are not free [12] — Zeimusu | Talk 12:48, 2005 Feb 6 (UTC).

  • There are dozens of images which look like they may have come from the same (apparently unfree) source. Someone ought to check through the uploads by this user, and see if any match pics on this site. Hint hint. :) – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 02:01, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
  • Looks like Maury Markowitz is bad news, so far as copyright is concerned. It seems he uploaded around 100 images, tagging none of them. Most of them are copyvios, although a few are (purely by coincidence) public domain. He's had a lot of messages on his talk page about these, but he hasn't yet dealt with them. He's also a sysop now. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 17:19, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

Image:Cuneiform tablet.jpg

File:Cuneiform tablet.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 5 to Feb 11
  • Used in Cuneiform script
  • US state department has [13] as a possible replacement, but it is unclear if the federal department is the source of those images. There is also a case for PD, on the basis that the image is of a 2D tablet, not a creative picture. The description page says it is in the British Museum, and they do not allow their images to be freely used ([14]) (ironic, given how much of their collection was taken without concent of the owners) — Zeimusu | Talk 12:41, 2005 Feb 6 (UTC)
  • Possible replacements: LOC 1, LOC 2. --MarkSweep 19:45, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Image:2004 Mayor Belmopan Belize Central America.jpg

File:2004 Mayor Belmopan Belize Central America.jpg
Sleuthing from Feb 6 to Feb 12
  • Used in Belmopan
  • Looks like a scan from a magazine. Websters seem to have picked it up from somewhrere [15] (us?). Probably copyright, though fairsue seems possible. — Zeimusu | Talk 10:43, 2005 Feb 7 (UTC)
    • Or ours came from them. Who knows? Anyway, I think fair use is reasonable, since he's a public figure, and there's no way we could be detracting from the value of the original work. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 16:53, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
  • Found [belmopan.wikiverse.org here] and here too, but one says that its photo is from Wikipedia, so it looks like a scan. Bart133 (t) 03:10, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Image:2100NiMH.JPG

File:2100NiMH.JPG
Sleuthing from Feb 6 to Feb 12
quick and dirty replacement
  • Used in Nickel metal hydride
  • Could be home-made, but hard to tell. I could easily create a free replacement myself. --MarkSweep 03:03, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
  • That would be best, this image is tiny and over-compressed. Note the cell is a NiMH not NiCad. A replacement photo should be dual-tagged GFDL and logo. — Zeimusu | Talk 08:06, 2005 Feb 7 (UTC)
    • Agreed. If you could get it on a white background instead of something random, that would be awesome ; ) --MaxPower 14:49, 2005 Feb 7 (UTC)
      • I've uploaded a quick and dirty (literally!) replacement (see image at right). Will work on a better, cleaner, larger version and upload it to the Commons later. Post suggestions for changes here or on the image talk page. --MarkSweep 04:57, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
        • It looks great to me! Maybe I'm just partial to "quick and dirty". (That didn't sound right.) – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 14:06, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
        • Looks great to me too. I've added a logo tag, and changed the PD-self to PD-user|MarkSweep, to avoid the pronoun.
  • Google reveals that the only source of an image with that name is Wikipedia, so it looks as if it's homemade. Bart133 (t) 03:08, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
    • Yeah, but it could be "homemade" in the sense of being cropped from a differently-named unfree image. I'm glad Mark is making replacements. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 13:47, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

Image:Deertick.jpg

Sleuthing from Feb 7 to Feb 13
PD-USGov-DOC-NOAA
  • Used in Tick
    • Google reveals that it comes from [16]. Bart133 (t) 02:59, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
      • The URL doesn't seem to resolve. – Quadell (talk) (sleuth) 14:07, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
        • Resolves for me. Originally from NOAA. Listed as PD. Tagged. — Zeimusu | Talk 14:34, 2005 Feb 8 (UTC)
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