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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 193.133.112.61 (talk) at 12:11, 16 August 2004 (→Image - Elizabeth De Burgh). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

I think it would be helpful in the apartheid article to include the full text of the definition of apartheid, from Article II of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. However, at the bottom of the text of the Convention (at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/11.htm ), it says © Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland. Does this mean it would be illegal to copy the definition into our article? Thanks GrahamN 16:42 Aug 29, 2002 (PDT)

It would certainly be within fair use guidelines to use an extract of the text to illustrate a point. If you want to copy large swaths of text, e-mail their office and ask. :) --Brion
There are 2261 words in the convention, and I'd like to quote 397 of them. This is about 18% of the text. Does this amount to a swath? GrahamN 16:53 Aug 29, 2002 (PDT)

I wouldn't worry about it. For especially small works like that, "fair use" is more lenient. For example, textbooks routinely quote whole poems to show style; they certainly couldn't quote a whole novel, though. Besides, it's also pretty easy to argue that a legal definition is of utterly no use unless it's quoted exactly and completely. --LDC

Doesn't the price of such textbooks include a royalty for licensing the copyrights on poems? --Damian Yerrick

class notes

In a spanish web forum a user asked about the copyright situation of notes taken in a class. Any comments? --AN

Well, if the person doesn't feel qualified to organize the information herself and express it herself, maybe it isn't a good idea to do that particular article. The legalistic answer is that copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. It would certainly be illegal to write down the professor's words verbatim and then put them on wikipedia. There's also the issue of plagiarism, which can be addressed by properly crediting the source, but again, it just raises the question of whether the idea was appropriate in the first place. --User:Bcrowell

patent drawings

Does anyone have any thoughts about using patent drawings as illustrations? I assume they're in the public domain from the moment the patent is filed, or they pass into the public domain when the patent expires, but I just don't know for sure. --ridetheory 1 Feb 2003

movie stills

Do you reckon using stills from a DVD counts as fair use? There's probably plenty of images that I could take from my DVDs that could be used for the relevant movie and even in other contexts. Mintguy

IANAL but I do know that stills from a movie are fair use when used to illustrate an article about the movie. --mav
There's been a small DVD capture on The Matrix article for some time now. I haven't seen any fuss over that one, so perhaps it's OK. Minesweeper 09:40 Feb 11, 2003 (UTC)

Billboard chart rankings

So, after having adding Billboard chart rankings to bunches of albums cut-and-pasted from allmusic, I discovered the fine print. It says that the info is tagged so they'll know that it came from them, and that unauthorized reproduction is not allowed. (to see it, just search for an album that you know charted in the US and click on the Billboard rankings and Grammy Awards link) My understanding is that information, such as the details of an album/singles chart ranking can not be copyrighted, and so their threat doesn't apply to Wikipedia. (if anyone could copyright it, I would expect Billboard, not allmusic) Am I correct? Tuf-Kat

IANAL but I do know that any claim to be able to copyright information is totally bunk. They can, however, claim copyright on their particular formatting so long as it is somehow unique and an artistic expression. But if, on the other hand, they try to intentionally introduce typos in order to catch copiers then that is plain evil and probably only something they could use to scare people into not copying the information they have collected. The legality of creating booby traps like that seems really thin to me (like misspelling, on average, every 100th person's name in a phone book in order to prevent a competing phone book provider from using the same information - I don't see how that can be considered to be a creative expression). Just my 2 cents. --mav 07:09 Mar 18, 2003 (UTC)

Copyright query: On Encyclopedia Mythica (http://www.pantheon.org), hieroglyphs for certain gods are given as image files. Are these okay to use? Obviously, they're not copyrighted by the people who etched them on the walls of the Pyramids or whatever, but the images appear to be computer-generated, not photos or anything. I know letters can't be copyrighted, and I'm assuming that, since they couldn't copyright Chinese characters for example, they can't do the same for hieroglyphics. Is that right?

For an example, go to http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/saa.html Tokerboy 22:09 Oct 2, 2002 (UTC)

You wrote "I know letters can't be copyrighted", and I wonder what exactly you meant by this. While the letter "A" cannot generically have a copyright filed, a font designer could argue that an individual artistic representation of the letter "A" could be. The exact copyright status of fonts is a hot legal topic, with (as usual) the law being different from country to country. -º¡º
Your question is essentially the same as mine. Where is the line between calligraphy and simple reproductions of uncopyrighted symbols? Most importantly, which side of the line do the hieroglyphs at encyclopedia mythica fall on? Tuf-Kat
Beats me. Wouldn't the *safest* thing to do be either to email them and ask for permission or just create our own? -º¡º
I e-mailed him about the time I left the above message on October 2, 2002 and never heard back. I suppose I'll have to ask around to see if someone can draw me a Egyptian-looking falcon (etc.). Tuf-Kat

usenet FAQ

Sorry if this was discussed before but I did not find anything on the subject. I would like to know whether text from a usenet faq can be used on wikipedia. For example, http://www.faqs.org/faqs/gardens/roses-faq/part1/ (and subsequent documents) mentions authorship but not copyright. If the author´s permission is required, how can this be obtained for a multi-authored work? Thanks, Nafnaf 

7. Disclaimer/Copyright

"The Rose FAQ" is copyrighted 1996. Before reprinting a FAQ article (or
major portions of one) for other than personal use, please obtain permission
from the author of the article.

I suggest sending the boilerplate request for permission to Bill Chandler, and seeing how it goes from here. Martin 18:34 2 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Nowegian Statistical Central Bureau

Moved from Wikipedia:Village pump

The norwegian SSB (Statistisk Sentralbyrå/Statistical Central Bureau) has a license for its data which states (my translation, see this page for the norwegian version):

SSB gives permission to store electronically, print, copy and propagate material from our web site (text, tables and figures). This permission requires reference to the source from whence the data is taken ("source: Statistisk sentralbyrå"). The source citation must be in direct connection to each table and figure used.

My question is, of course, can data from SSB be used in wikipedia articles, while complying with both their license and the GFDL? -lazyr 14:09 28 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Just because nobody is answering, I'm writing my not-so-educated ideas. (Don't take it as a legal advice, please.)

Say, you can put appropriate attribution with their data, making your edit compliant with both licenses. But GFDL allows others to modify the article. Attribution could be deleted by others. As soon as that happens, the article becomes what SSB doesn't want, but still GFDL compliant.

At the same time, I guess many would think there is a reasonable chance that the attribution would be kept. So, it could pragmatically be okay.

I think this is related to the issue of "fair use" if things like quotes are okay for Wikipedia to have. There has been a big discussion on mailing list (Wikipedia-l) during the last month or so, in case you are not aware of it.

Maybe you want to bring this question to the list, and see what people say? Tomos 09:36, 2 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I think this may have been discussed already but I can’t find where so I’ll check here .......
If I can’t find any source of a still picture to illustrate an article is it OK to photograph a part of a film off TV and use that (with a clean up in an image processor to get rid of the TV scan lines)? In other words, is a single frame from a film copyright?
A good example is Diana, Princess of Wales where I’ve searched the internet for hours for a public domain image but all images are either copyright or nothing is said on the subject. To show the “quality” achievable, here’s an example I photographed today (off English TV).
image:princess.diana.offTV.350pix.jpg
Adrian Pingstone 21:30, 21 Oct 2003 (UTC)

It is still copyrighted (your picture is an infringing derivative work). You could probably include it in an article using fair-use provisions. --seav 22:14, Oct 21, 2003 (UTC)
I think there is a loophole you can take advantage of. If an image is displayed for news purposes, it cannot be copyrighted. For example, if you record a news program, you can legally play it back in front of a stadium of people with no copyvio. I am not sure the reason for this loophole, and IANAL, but you might want to investigate that route. If you can't copyright a news broadcast, it stands to reason you can't copyright a single frame of that newscast. —Frecklefoot 16:34, 22 Oct 2003 (UTC)
Beyond the standard fair use doctrine, there is no such loophole for news in US copyright law. AxelBoldt 14:02, 23 Oct 2003 (UTC)
Right - certain uses of raw news footage would be OK under the fair use doctrine, but there's no blanket loophole, and the footage is still copyrighted even if usable under fair use. Certainly ABC News Tonight is copyrighted and playing it back in front of a large audience would be a copyright violation (not fall under fair use). Axlrosen 15:12, 23 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Whatever you do, say what you did on the image description page and if you're relying on fair use, add a fair use rationale. See wikipedia:image description page. Martin 19:20, 24 Oct 2003 (UTC)

OS 'free maps'

  • The Ordnance Survery have some 'free' maps her - [1]. I would like to use these as the basis of locator maps on the London Borough pages, and can easily do the work myself. But is the licence there good enough for us? The page itself gives mixed indications. Morwen 18:45, 6 Nov 2003 (UTC)
No, the page states "You must not use the images for financial gain.". As people can take Wikipedia content and use it under the terms of the GFDL for commercial purposes, it would appear these maps may not be used. Angela 18:59, Nov 6, 2003 (UTC)
As I understand it, the current image policy does not require that images be GFDL, but does recommend (effectvely, require) that you clearly indicate origin and all restrictions, including non-commercial requirements, so that those needing a particular type of work can eliminate images they can't use. Note also that the Wikipedia license is explicit in saying "all text", not "all content", is GFDL. If you're arguing fair use, that needs to be argued in comments for every use of an image. Even images exclusively licensed to Wikipedia can be used but that's a very sub-optimal undesirable image, because it's not reusable and only serves to enrich the Wikipedia itself. That's good but not what we're really after if we can avoid it. Things like corporate logos are generally licensed only for specific uses, so there's no choice for them but to accept individual licenses (or try fair use) and tell people where to ask for a license for their own use - and if they are also an encyclopedia, they will be granted that permission as well. If you have a choice, better to use something else. JamesDay 22:39, 6 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Posters

Can I use posters of movies here? --FallingInLoveWithPitoc 11:52, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Yes, if: you own the copyright to the poster; or it is in the public domain; or you obtained permission of the copyright holder (in a verifiable manner). Otherwise, no.
(Note this is not an official Wikipedia answer, and may be wrong. orthogonal is not a representative, official or unofficial, of Wikipedia. Note that this is not legal advice. orthogonal is not a lawyer. If you need legal advice, you should contact a lawyer.) orthogonal 17:57, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)
What orthogonal said. Martin 19:40, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Oh, I thought all the posters can be used without permission, since they're used everywhere on the Internet. I think adding a poster to the movie topics would be a good idea, but since it's so troublesome... give up. --FallingInLoveWithPitoc 05:28, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Copyvio?

Is a summary based on a web page considered a copyvio? An example could be Alternative metal and http://www.bobsmusicindex.com/Alternative-Metal.html . TopCamel 13:41, 14 Nov 2003 (UTC)

No, it is not a copyvio, that one would be if you copy it word by word. However it is good style to add the source of your text as well, e.g. in a References list, both for giving the author of the original source their credit, as well as to allow others to check the information in that article. andy 13:58, 14 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Andyis correct. You can even copy a sentence from something without violating copyright.(unless that sentence is a one of a kind pasterpiece) ALWAYS INCLUDE SOURCES NO MATTER WHAT!!! Sincerly yours, Alexandros 14:06, 14 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Exactly! You can certainly quote people, pages, web pages, etc. if indicated as a quote and cited from what/where. If you want to take something from a web site not as a quote, but as information, then reword it to your own words but still give credit to the source, as a listing in "References" at the bottom of the article. Knowledge is something you mostly gain from others. Your duty here is to reword what you read and credit where you learned -- Marshman 03:26, 15 Nov 2003 (UTC)

GFDL from other authors

If we copy text from an article from another source released under the GDFL, into a wikipedia article, are we required to link to the other site and mention that the original text came from that site? Alexandros

Yes. See Bacterium and anachronism and time travel and Hydatius for recently updated examples that are (IMO) 100% compliant. Do you have a particular article in mind? Martin 19:22, 30 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Does anyone know if the Congressional Biographical Directory is copyright protected? If not, we could get lots and lots of stubby articles on various congresspersons, which'd be useful... john 08:26, 16 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Nope, they're copyright free, along with the images. Many articles on U.S. politicians are already based on these entries. See also public domain resources. --Minesweeper 09:46, 16 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Mario Kart 64 Box Cover Image

I have recently been editing the Mario Kart 64 entry in the Wikipedia and would like to include an image of the box cover. I have located one such image at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DMAX/104-7522400-3171168 and could certainly find it elsewhere if it was needed. If I was to upload this to Wikipedia would this constitute "fair use" or would I have to directly request permission from Nintendo, Inc.? Thanks.

-SocratesJedi 01:02, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC)


Are Congressional Archives Copyvios?

Would it be a copyvio to use information (or copy-pastes) from http://bioguide.congress.gov/? It's a federal website, but the "copyright information" page at http://bioguide.congress.gov/copyright.htm only mentions the image; it mentions no copyright or license on the text at all. Ideas? --Golbez 01:56, Jul 21, 2004 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the text of that site is an official US government publication and thus public domain. Given that it doesn't say otherwise, it's a safe assumption. Just be really careful about the images. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:08, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
The text of the congressional bioguide is public domain. However, you should attribute it as a source to give credit where due. If you like, you can include {{bioguide}} in an article which adds the text: Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. older≠wiser 02:10, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
Oh. Someone beat me to it. Okay. :) Thanks --Golbez 02:38, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
I've been using those images; they're public domain. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 13:41, 2004 Jul 21 (UTC)
Well, I don't think they would specifically mention that "not all images are in the public domain" if that were not the case. I have not come across many that are, but in such cases, there is copyright information by the image. older≠wiser 20:32, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Image - Elizabeth De Burgh

Hi there..

This image i guess would fall under "Unique historical images which we cannot reproduce by other means"

The time is "bruce and elizabeth.jpg"

I'd like to use it in a printed article...can i use it.?

I don't really know what to do next - does someone post to reply - or email me...

here's my email anyway - [email protected]

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