Wikipedia:Media copyright questions
Media copyright questions | ||
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Welcome to the Media Copyright Questions page, a place for help with image copyrights, tagging, non-free content, and related questions. For all other questions please see Wikipedia:Questions.
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Sosumi sound file
Sosumi ("so, sue me") is a half-second sound file, once used in Apple OS as a bleep sound. It has been uploaded to Enwiki at File:Sosumi.mp3 with a "Trademark" tag (originally a different tag). The uploader User:Jibblesnark86 and myself would like clarity if this is permissible, and what kind of tag should it have. Thank you. I think the uploader doesn't want to be sued! -- GreenC 15:27, 12 November 2024 (UTC)
- Since no-one else answered so far, maybe my non-answer can generate some form of discussion: This could be below the US threshold of originality, but unfortunately I am not familiar with any example of the threshold of originality of sounds. The quickest of searches does not unearth any relevant Commons discussions either, but there may well be something there that my search terms didn't catch. Felix QW (talk) 16:22, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- Ok thanks for the feedback. That rationale might be included in the fair use. Assuming User:Jibblesnark86 still wants to go for it as the uploader. -- GreenC 17:15, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- I'd say it's PD-ineligible. A good set of reference points is https://www.copyright.gov/rulings-filings/review-board/ , what the Copyright Office rejected or eventually was argued into accepting, and there's a category of sound recordings. https://www.copyright.gov/rulings-filings/review-board/docs/td-ameritrade.pdf and https://www.copyright.gov/rulings-filings/review-board/docs/intel-spiral.pdf are four- and five-second clips they were argued into accepting, and https://www.copyright.gov/rulings-filings/review-board/docs/American-Airlines-App-Sounds.pdf was a pair of one-second clips they rejected. Sosumi is 0.2 seconds long, and there doesn't seem to be any complexity that would make it stand out. They mention their standards are “Elements that determine the sufficiency and creativity of sound recordings include the simultaneous or sequential number of sounds, the length of the recording, and the creativity perceptibly expressed in creating, fixing, and manipulating the sounds.” Relative to the multiple note, multiple second long tracks that got approval, I can't see this one getting copyright.--Prosfilaes (talk) 00:45, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you very much for the Review Board link - I don't know how I never came across it! Felix QW (talk) 08:01, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
Song lyrics translations
There is a dispute about the admissibility of translated song lyrics at a) Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) and b) Es kam ein Herr zum Schlößli (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views). The source for a) is https://stihi.ru/2024/08/29/5879, for b) it's https://stihi.ru/2018/08/15/9373 . My reading of the Copyright notices on those pages prevents their use at Wikipedia. I've raised the matter with the editor who placed those translations into the articles, User:Tamtam90 (who made several uncivil remarks in their edit summaries), on my talk page. They claim to be the author of those translations and they point to a different Copyright notice in the footnote of https://o.stihi.ru/ which doesn't cover Wikipedia's requirements either. That website has a page on "Certificate of publication" which doesn't address Creative Commons or GNU licenses at all. What's to be done? -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 02:07, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
- The way that could make sense apparently would be if Tamtam90 is С. Павлов. If so, the user could provide evidence to VRT. The vague reference to a discussion on Wikidata is not linked. A search did not find something like that there. However, there is something on Wikisource [1]. Not sure why the person who spotted the problem seemed to leave it there. Notifying User:Vladis13: can you please bring some light on this matter? -- Asclepias (talk) 18:25, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
- s:ru:User:Tamtam90 is С.Павлов. I put the pages of his translations up for deletion, because, obviously, on the https://stihi.ru there is no notice that this is a free license; on the contrary, it says that the rights are reserved by the author. There I explained this in detail to the user and recommended improving the license on the site by indicating CC-BY, and using the VRTS system to solve all problems. The user said that he sent a request to VRTS there. And also I made a remark to the user there.
Wikisource Rules allow to use a different way for translations created and published in Wikisource, so this automatically licensed under CC-BY. - Just need to indicate the user as author of the translation and setup the CC-BY license template. This is what was done, example. Vladis13 (talk) 08:06, 17 November 2024 (UTC) - User:Tamtam90, I would advise in order to avoid the non-free license on the stihi.ru, to publish the english translation in en.Wikisource (s:en:Wikisource:Translations#Wikisource_original_translations). After, in en.Wikipedia to set the link to this translation in en.Wikisource. Vladis13 (talk) 12:42, 17 November 2024 (UTC)
- User:Vladis13, the only reason why I still haven't published my English translations in Wikisource is: there are only 5-10 of them. So, when you approve that my "continuing" translation wouldn't meet any further deletion nightmares, I will start to publish my works in en.wikisource.org (however, the link to stihi.ru must be saved in Wikisource, as I understood). --Tamtam90 (talk) 15:19, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
- Не уверен, что понял ваш ответ, Google Translate переводит не идеально. Если вы указываете ссылку на stihi.ru, где нет свободной лицензии совместимой с Фондом Викимедия, то это вводит в заблуждение участников и вы получаете запросы на удаление. Именно поэтому я рекомендую разместить ваши переводы в Викитеке, где они будут под свободной лицензией. Я не имею отношения к en.wikisource. Нет никакого ограничения на количество публикуемых переводов. Vladis13 (talk) 20:29, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
- For the benefit of non-Russian speakers, a Google translation: I'm not sure I understood your answer, Google Translate doesn't translate perfectly. If you link to stihi.ru, which doesn't have a free license compatible with the Wikimedia Foundation, it misleads participants and you get requests to remove it. That's why I recommend posting your translations on Wikisource, where they will be under a free license. I have nothing to do with en.wikisource. There is no limit on the number of translations you can publish. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 00:06, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
- Не уверен, что понял ваш ответ, Google Translate переводит не идеально. Если вы указываете ссылку на stihi.ru, где нет свободной лицензии совместимой с Фондом Викимедия, то это вводит в заблуждение участников и вы получаете запросы на удаление. Именно поэтому я рекомендую разместить ваши переводы в Викитеке, где они будут под свободной лицензией. Я не имею отношения к en.wikisource. Нет никакого ограничения на количество публикуемых переводов. Vladis13 (talk) 20:29, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
- User:Vladis13, the only reason why I still haven't published my English translations in Wikisource is: there are only 5-10 of them. So, when you approve that my "continuing" translation wouldn't meet any further deletion nightmares, I will start to publish my works in en.wikisource.org (however, the link to stihi.ru must be saved in Wikisource, as I understood). --Tamtam90 (talk) 15:19, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
- s:ru:User:Tamtam90 is С.Павлов. I put the pages of his translations up for deletion, because, obviously, on the https://stihi.ru there is no notice that this is a free license; on the contrary, it says that the rights are reserved by the author. There I explained this in detail to the user and recommended improving the license on the site by indicating CC-BY, and using the VRTS system to solve all problems. The user said that he sent a request to VRTS there. And also I made a remark to the user there.
- My ticket permission see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Tamtam90. Is that enough, to recall these nominations? --Tamtam90 (talk) 17:39, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
File:Lehman-Tunnell Mansion.jpg
I don't think File:Lehman-Tunnell Mansion.jpg is licensed correctly. The source provided for the file isn't a US government website but rather a State of Wyoming website. The photo is also attributed to a Gladys B. Berry, but there's nothing stating that the photographer is an employee of the US federal government. Given that Wyoming isn't one of the US states which place works created by its employees as part of their official duties into the public domain,I'm not sure this should be kept as licensed, and it might not even be kept at all. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:25, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- Right. Please create a deletion request. Yann (talk) 09:16, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Yann: Wikipedia doesn't really have a DR set up any more like Commons; there's WP:FFD for files, but that's technically Files For Discusion. Of course, one of the outcomes of an FFD can be to delete, but I'm wondering (given your experience as a Commons admin) if there's a way this could be PD, just not for the reason given. The uploader is a student editor and probably isn't too familiar with image copyright. They uploaded the same file to Commons under a different name. If there's a way to keep that file, then this one could be speedily deleted per WP:F8 without any need for discussion. Similarly, if the Commons file ends up being speedily deleted, this one most likely could also be speedily deletion for the same reason. -- Marchjuly (talk) 10:59, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Marchjuly: This is a relatively recent picture (1981), so it is most probably under a copyright. According to c:Commons:Hirtle chart, the only possibility that it would be in the public domain is Published without notice, and without subsequent registration within 5 years. We need to know the publication history, and I don't know how such a registration was done, and can be checked, so I can't say more than that. Yann (talk) 17:29, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you Yann. That's kind of what I thought as well. For reference, though, the uploader of the file included this link in one of their edit summaries, and I believe that's what they're basing the
{{PD-USGOV}}
claim on; the site that's linked to, however, says its images are publicly available but I don't think that means within the public domain. -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:06, 20 November 2024 (UTC)- @Marchjuly: FYI I nominated it for deletion on Commons: c:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Lehman-Tunnell Mansion from E. Grand Ave.jpg. Yann (talk) 18:59, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you Yann. That's kind of what I thought as well. For reference, though, the uploader of the file included this link in one of their edit summaries, and I believe that's what they're basing the
- @Marchjuly: This is a relatively recent picture (1981), so it is most probably under a copyright. According to c:Commons:Hirtle chart, the only possibility that it would be in the public domain is Published without notice, and without subsequent registration within 5 years. We need to know the publication history, and I don't know how such a registration was done, and can be checked, so I can't say more than that. Yann (talk) 17:29, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Yann: Wikipedia doesn't really have a DR set up any more like Commons; there's WP:FFD for files, but that's technically Files For Discusion. Of course, one of the outcomes of an FFD can be to delete, but I'm wondering (given your experience as a Commons admin) if there's a way this could be PD, just not for the reason given. The uploader is a student editor and probably isn't too familiar with image copyright. They uploaded the same file to Commons under a different name. If there's a way to keep that file, then this one could be speedily deleted per WP:F8 without any need for discussion. Similarly, if the Commons file ends up being speedily deleted, this one most likely could also be speedily deletion for the same reason. -- Marchjuly (talk) 10:59, 19 November 2024 (UTC)
Album artwork
There are thousands of album artwork images throughout Wikipedia. In particular, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Wee_Small_Hours contains this image: Wee_small_hours_album_cover_high_definition.jpg
I copied it to another article that mentioned that album, but a bot came along and removed it. See this diff: [2]
Is this a mistake on the part of the bot, or am I missing something? Why is it a violation on one article and not on another?
Thanks. Mr. Swordfish (talk) 14:20, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- Each and every usage of a non-free image like this album cover requires a specific and separate non-free usage rationale. The bot removed the image because there is no rationale for its use in the List of common misconceptions article. You could add a non-free usage rationale to cover this usage, but it must meet all of the the non-free content criteria. I doubt very much that it would meet the contextual significance require by WP:NFCC#8. See also WP:NFLIST. -- Whpq (talk) 14:41, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- In other words, it's (usually) okay to use an image of an album cover in the article about that album, but using it in an article about something else is a much higher bar. Stifle (talk) 09:30, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
Fair use supercell image
I recently created the article June 2022 Chicago supercell and was wondering if I could plausibly upload this striking image taken from inside the storm as an NFF. There is one video on the page of the storm from space, however this is a more visible and closer view of the storm that may fall under non-free criteria. Cheers! Departure– (talk) 16:11, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- What exactly would the purpose of the image be, and how is that purpose distinguished from available free media? — Red-tailed hawk (nest) 16:23, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- To illustrate the structure of the storm over Chicago. All existing media is taken from NEXRAD radar imagery or space, but the supercell was especially notable for its height, and a visual of the structure may help illustrate that. Departure– (talk) 16:27, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
- I just wanted to ask before I misuse fair use - do I have a good fair-use argument to use this image? The main concern is that there's also free media of the storm from space, but none from the ground, nor from the air. This is a closer view at the storm structure that I feel is inadequately described by the space and radar views. Departure– (talk) 14:25, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Departure–: An important thing to remember is that fair use and non-free content are not really the same thing when it comes to Wikipedia, and that Wikipedia's non-free content use policy was set intentionally set up to be more restrictive than fair use. What I think Red-tailed hawk is referring to above are WP:FREER and WP:NFC#CS. There are ten criteria that each use of a non-free file needs to satisfy for it to be considered valid, and failing even one of these means the use is not OK. If the particular image you want to upload has itself been been discussed in reliable sources when they talked about the supercell or is regularly cited as the "one" image that shows by reliable sources as showing all the things you say it shows, then perhaps an argument could be made for its non-free use. On the other hand, there are several other images available which could possibly show the same thing or which have been used by reliable sources discussing the supercell, the non-free use of this particular one becomes harder to justify. Given that the National Weather Service is part of the US federal government and the works created by US federal government employees as part of their official duties are considered to be public domain (ineligible for copyright protection), it seems reasonable to expect that their might be other photos of the supercell taken by NWS employees which are within the public domain and would be preferred to any non-free photo. Can you find out more about the provenance of the photo taken by Eileen Murray? For example, it she works for the NWS and took the photo while doing her job, then it could possibly be OK to license as c:Template:PD-USGov-NWS-employee and upload to Wikimedia Commons because its within the public domain; if, however, Eileen Murray just happened to by riding in an airplane and took a personal photo, she would be its copyright owner. In the latter case, WP:CONSENT would be needed for the photo to not be considered non-free content. -- Marchjuly (talk) 20:55, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- I'm avoiding the entire concept of using this as a free image. Wikiproject Weather was nearly torn apart by the concept, so I'm playing it hyper-safe by forcing this to either be non-free or not used at all. As far as I know, there are no NWS employee-produced images of the storm and finding whether one took a photo while in their duties with the NWS is significantly easier said than done. Departure– (talk) 20:59, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Departure–: An important thing to remember is that fair use and non-free content are not really the same thing when it comes to Wikipedia, and that Wikipedia's non-free content use policy was set intentionally set up to be more restrictive than fair use. What I think Red-tailed hawk is referring to above are WP:FREER and WP:NFC#CS. There are ten criteria that each use of a non-free file needs to satisfy for it to be considered valid, and failing even one of these means the use is not OK. If the particular image you want to upload has itself been been discussed in reliable sources when they talked about the supercell or is regularly cited as the "one" image that shows by reliable sources as showing all the things you say it shows, then perhaps an argument could be made for its non-free use. On the other hand, there are several other images available which could possibly show the same thing or which have been used by reliable sources discussing the supercell, the non-free use of this particular one becomes harder to justify. Given that the National Weather Service is part of the US federal government and the works created by US federal government employees as part of their official duties are considered to be public domain (ineligible for copyright protection), it seems reasonable to expect that their might be other photos of the supercell taken by NWS employees which are within the public domain and would be preferred to any non-free photo. Can you find out more about the provenance of the photo taken by Eileen Murray? For example, it she works for the NWS and took the photo while doing her job, then it could possibly be OK to license as c:Template:PD-USGov-NWS-employee and upload to Wikimedia Commons because its within the public domain; if, however, Eileen Murray just happened to by riding in an airplane and took a personal photo, she would be its copyright owner. In the latter case, WP:CONSENT would be needed for the photo to not be considered non-free content. -- Marchjuly (talk) 20:55, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- I just wanted to ask before I misuse fair use - do I have a good fair-use argument to use this image? The main concern is that there's also free media of the storm from space, but none from the ground, nor from the air. This is a closer view at the storm structure that I feel is inadequately described by the space and radar views. Departure– (talk) 14:25, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- To illustrate the structure of the storm over Chicago. All existing media is taken from NEXRAD radar imagery or space, but the supercell was especially notable for its height, and a visual of the structure may help illustrate that. Departure– (talk) 16:27, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
File:Florida-Wildlife-Corridor-Map-Corridor-Conserved-Opportunity-Protection-Priorities-1.pdf
I would like some opinions on the licensing of File:Florida-Wildlife-Corridor-Map-Corridor-Conserved-Opportunity-Protection-Priorities-1.pdf. If it's truly {{PD-text}}
, then permission of the creator doesn't seem to be needed, and there's no need to attribute them as the creator. At the same time, if permission of the creator is needed and the creator needs to be attributed, this can't really be licensed as PD. Should VRT verification be required for this? -- Marchjuly (talk) 07:11, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- It is obviously not PD-text. Also it is missing evidence for the permission. I do not know what the relations are between those entities, but given that the work is by A. Meeks at Archbold Biological Station, that is probably where the permission should come from. Notifying Artemis127. -- Asclepias (talk) 14:46, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- I received permission from the foundation it was created for via email from the Community and Engagement Manager Avery Palmer. I'm not sure how I would provide the evidence but Angeline Meeks made a series of maps for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and that's where they are featured. I have also reached out to Ms.Meeks herself. Ms.Palmer clarified that they are publicly accessible and there is no copyright information on the map itself. I included the credits as it made sense to connect the wiki page to the foundation. Artemis127 (talk) 16:06, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- I asked Angeline Meeks the cartographer specifically about the copyright and she reiterated they are free to use with the appropriate credits. Artemis127 (talk) 17:41, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Artemis127: What you're posting makes it seem as if Angela Meeks gave you permission to use the image on Wikipedia. That's fine for you, but insufficient for Wikipedia licensing purposes. What Wikipedia is going to need is some way of formally verifying Meeks' consent and the easiest way for that to happen is probably going to be to ask Meeks to send a WP:CONSENT email to the Wikimedia Volunteer Response Team (VRT). Basically, what Wikipedia needs to verify is whether Meeks is giving permission to everyone in the world to download the file from Wikipedia at anytime and reuse for any purpose (including commercial reuse and derivative use) without needing to specifically ask for it each time. Meeks can specify attribution as one of the conditions for reuse, but Meeks can't specify things like "educational use only", "non-commercial use only", "Wikipedia use only", etc. because such things are too restrictive for Wikipedia. What you're posting also doesn't make much sense given that you've licensed the file as
{{PD-text}}
. Images licensed in such a way are things that aren't considered to be eligible for copyright protection under US copyright law because they don't reach the level of creativity needed for such copyright protection. So, in other words, there's nothing to protect and thus nothing to require attribution for. Permission and attribution would only be necessary if Meeks is claiming copyright ownership over the map.FWIW, the raw factual data used for the map certainly could be ineligible for copyright protection depending on how it was gathered, selected or arranged. The outline of the State of Florida, the place names and the coloring are almost certainly ineligible for copyright protection. However, when you combine all of these individual elements together into an interpretative visual representation, that visual representation itself could be considered eligible for copyright protection independently of the individual elements as explained in c:COM:CB#Maps and satellite imagery; in other words, the map could be greater than the sum of its individual parts from a copyright standpoint. -- Marchjuly (talk) 22:11, 21 November 2024 (UTC)- There is no copyright on the map. I wanted to verify before I added it which is why I contacted the cartographer and the foundation. Special permission was not granted to me, more so they confirmed anyone who was looking to use it would be able to. What license would you recommend for a free use, publicly accessible, non copyrighted map? Thanks! Artemis127 (talk) 00:30, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- There is copyright on the map. Any creative work attracts a copyright by default.
- The usual recommended free licence for copyrighted works that we use and recommend on Wikipedia is the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Stifle (talk) 09:27, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Artemis127: Just going to add that "publicly accessible" doesn't mean public domain. Pretty much everything found on the Internet could be considered "publicly accessible" and much of it can be downloaded, printed out or whatever at no cost. "Freely available", however, doesn't mean "free from copyright protection". Under current US copyright law, visible copyright notices and other copyright formalities are no longer required for a work to be eligible for copyright protection. As long as the work meets the requirements for copyright eligibility, it's considered automatically protected unless it's creator explicitly states they've released it into the public domain. So, nobody other that the creator of the work can decide how to license it, and you need to ask the work's creator to find that out. -- Marchjuly (talk) 21:05, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Artemis127 - can you ask Angeline Meeks to document the status of the map using the recommendations here: c:Commons:Volunteer_Response_Team#If_you_are_NOT_the_copyright_holder? That way, we'll be able to clear this up, and have clear documentation of how things stand. Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 22:18, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
- There is no copyright on the map. I wanted to verify before I added it which is why I contacted the cartographer and the foundation. Special permission was not granted to me, more so they confirmed anyone who was looking to use it would be able to. What license would you recommend for a free use, publicly accessible, non copyrighted map? Thanks! Artemis127 (talk) 00:30, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- @Artemis127: What you're posting makes it seem as if Angela Meeks gave you permission to use the image on Wikipedia. That's fine for you, but insufficient for Wikipedia licensing purposes. What Wikipedia is going to need is some way of formally verifying Meeks' consent and the easiest way for that to happen is probably going to be to ask Meeks to send a WP:CONSENT email to the Wikimedia Volunteer Response Team (VRT). Basically, what Wikipedia needs to verify is whether Meeks is giving permission to everyone in the world to download the file from Wikipedia at anytime and reuse for any purpose (including commercial reuse and derivative use) without needing to specifically ask for it each time. Meeks can specify attribution as one of the conditions for reuse, but Meeks can't specify things like "educational use only", "non-commercial use only", "Wikipedia use only", etc. because such things are too restrictive for Wikipedia. What you're posting also doesn't make much sense given that you've licensed the file as
- I asked Angeline Meeks the cartographer specifically about the copyright and she reiterated they are free to use with the appropriate credits. Artemis127 (talk) 17:41, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- I received permission from the foundation it was created for via email from the Community and Engagement Manager Avery Palmer. I'm not sure how I would provide the evidence but Angeline Meeks made a series of maps for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation and that's where they are featured. I have also reached out to Ms.Meeks herself. Ms.Palmer clarified that they are publicly accessible and there is no copyright information on the map itself. I included the credits as it made sense to connect the wiki page to the foundation. Artemis127 (talk) 16:06, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
@Artemis127, Stifle, Asclepias, and Ian (Wiki Ed): Since the file is now being discussed at Wikipedia:Files for discussion/2024 November 26#File:Florida-Wildlife-Corridor-Map-Corridor-Conserved-Opportunity-Protection-Priorities-1.pdf, it's probably best that any new comments be made there. -- Marchjuly (talk) 06:28, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
Vogue Taiwan reposting Vogue content with CC BY license
Hi, File:Charli XCX in 2024 for Vogue Magazine "In My Bag".jpg comes from this youtube video posted by Vogue Taiwan, with a CC BY license. The original video was posted by Vogue Britain, who did the interview, without a CC license. In this case, is the Vogue Taiwan notice sufficient to make this a free image? Alyo (chat·edits) 19:41, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Just to add some context, here's a prior discussion on Wikimedia Commons in 2021 about the same issue: [3] and a template edit in 2022 reaffirming that Vogue Taiwan is a valid subsidiary of Conde Nast. [4]
- I'm paging editor User:SNUGGUMS as he was in some of those 2021 discussions and has more experience with the Vogue Taiwan copyright thing than I do; I was under the guise that it was common for a long period on Wikimedia Commons. PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 20:46, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- As recently as 2022, Vogue Taiwan images have been deemed valid at Wikimedia Commons. [5] PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:13, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Found a more recent discussion on Wikimedia Commons from August 2024 regarding a file that was gotten off Vogue Taiwan's YouTube channel. [6] @Alyo: PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:24, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- FWIW, I'm paging User:GRuban who is a license reviewer on Commons who has dealt with Vogue Taiwan images before and was mentioned in the previous deletion discussions on Commons. I do not have much experience looking through Commons deletion request archives; hopefully someone who is more familiar on that may help in this discussion here on enwiki. PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:40, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Found a more recent discussion on Wikimedia Commons from August 2024 regarding a file that was gotten off Vogue Taiwan's YouTube channel. [6] @Alyo: PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:24, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- As recently as 2022, Vogue Taiwan images have been deemed valid at Wikimedia Commons. [5] PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:13, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Additional context I think is also important for this particular case, is that the YouTube video in question is not actually a direct repost of the Vogue Britain video, but clips of the video. Vogue Taiwan also posted the video in its entirety, but did not provide that video with a CC license. The sources for these clips, both from Vogue Britain and Taiwan, do not have a CC license. RedBaron12 (talk) 21:23, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- If Conde Nast owns the copyright to the full video regardless, what is exactly stopping them from only releasing parts of it as CC, though?
- Everything from either British Vogue, American Vogue or Vogue Taiwan is still under Conde Nast's copyright. Given that we are only looking for static images and not full videos, I think that's a net positive in my opinion. PHShanghai | they/them (talk) 21:27, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Even when Condé Nast is in fact Vogue Taiwan's parent corporation, the problem with extracting images here is the video in question doesn't provide any license or other indication that people can freely take screenshots of it to be posted elsewhere. I therefore would not endorse keeping the uploaded file. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 22:30, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- Hello, I was pinged. So:
- The video in question is clearly marked "License: Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)" (click the "more" link on the linked page to unfold that link; it goes to https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468 which references https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode). This obviously includes "screenshots" since if we are allowed to freely edit and repost the whole video, we can clearly edit it down to part of one frame.
- The Youtube Vogue Taiwan account is 14 years old and has 1.1 million subscribers, this is not a fly-by-night account. It is extremely unlikely that the parent Vogue company is unaware they have been posting these videos for the last 14 years, and marking many of them Creative Commons Attribution. This is known as apparent authority; we have every reason to believe they are, in fact, empowered to mark them in this way.
- They are also not marking videos Creative Commons Attribution indiscriminately, for example one video just posted yesterday was not so marked.
- Wikimedia Commons has 861 images in https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Screenshot_images_from_VOGUE_Taiwan_YouTube_account so there is a noticeable precedent here, and while this consensus can change as much on Commons as on the EN Wikipedia, I'm fairly certain that it is unlikely to.
- In short, I marked the image in question Commons:License reviewed. Thank you all. --GRuban (talk) 00:19, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Hello, I was pinged. So:
- Even when Condé Nast is in fact Vogue Taiwan's parent corporation, the problem with extracting images here is the video in question doesn't provide any license or other indication that people can freely take screenshots of it to be posted elsewhere. I therefore would not endorse keeping the uploaded file. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 22:30, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
File:Abraham Hamadeh 119th congress.jpg
File:Abraham Hamadeh 119th congress.jpg has been used on a few pages now, two of which I've since reverted. It's been labeled as an "official" photo of the 119th United States Congress even though it hasn't yet been uploaded on Congress.gov or another official government website, since the 119th Congress has yet to start. It's only been uploaded on Representative-elect Hamadeh's newly-created "official" Twitter account, which leads me to believe that there may be an issue with copyright, and it might not yet be public domain (if it's the official photo in the end). AG202 (talk) 21:31, 21 November 2024 (UTC)
- The file was uploaded to Commons so it would probably be better to ask about it at c:COM:VPC. Personally, though, this does seem like a case of "too soon" in an image licensing sense given that Hamadeh isn't officially a US congressman until they take their oath of office and formally assume their duties. Hamadeh could, if they want, simply agree to give their consent by posting they're releasing the image under one of these licenses on their X account or sending a c:COM:CONSENT email to Wikimedia VRT, but I don't think they or anyone else can claim
{{PD-USGov-Congress}}
just yet. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Marchjuly (talk • contribs) 22:20, 21 November 2024 (UTC)- Thanks and I've since started a thread on Commons. AG202 (talk) 00:10, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Too soon? He's a member-elect and members-elect take their official photos during the orientation during the lame duck session. – Muboshgu (talk) 00:11, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Yes, but the issue is that it hasn't yet been published by House.gov. Does a congressperson, edit: congressperson-elect in particular, posting an image solely on social media count as public domain? Does it count as a work of the U.S. federal government? That's what led me to bring the topic here. AG202 (talk) 00:15, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- The images are clearly taken by officials of the US Government so I would say yes and if a member posts it of their own volition I would say it qualifies. In fact if you look at Tim Sheehy's main picture you will see it comes from Ryan Zinke's Instagram page when they were at a campaign event together. We've also used images from freshmen before like when Cory Mills and Anna Paulina Luna posted theirs when they were first elected. There was no issue then and I don't see why there would be an issue now. Wollers14 (talk) 00:21, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Was the issue brought up then with Cory Millis and Anna Paulina Luna? If so, please point me to the relevant discussions. It's better to be safe than sorry, and I want to make sure that the policy is clear. Keep in mind as well that Abraham Hamadeh is not yet a congressperson, but a congressperson-elect, hence not yet officially a member of government. (Ryan Zinke was already a member at the time of posting) There's no harm in getting more information and/or at least waiting until the 119th Congress is sworn in. AG202 (talk) 00:26, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Not that I remember I just know that nobody took them down. Beth Van Duyne and Tony Gonzales also did the same in 2020 when they were first elected (I'm feeling old now) Also the account that Hamadeh used to post it was not his personal account but the account he will use when he officially gets sworn in which have the gray check marks if you use X. Wollers14 (talk) Wollers14 (talk) 00:45, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Nobody taking an image down doesn't necessarily mean it's licensed correctly. As I posted above and below, this is a file uploaded to Commons and whether it's OK as licensed or should be deleted is a question for Commons. However, whether the file should be used for encyclopedic purposes on Wikipedia is a question for Wikipedia. If the local consensus is that the file is OK per WP:COPY#Guidelines for images and other media files and has no WP:F9 or WP:F11 issues, then Wikipedia can probably continue using it. The file can still end up being deleted from Commons though. -- Marchjuly (talk) 00:55, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- To help answer the earlier question about whether Commons had this discussion before the answer is actually yes and the image was kept. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Anna_Paulina_Luna.jpg Wollers14 (talk) 01:07, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- That's great, but again Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Anna_Paulina_Luna.jpg something to point out at Commons if the file ends up at DR or tagged for speedy deletion. Whether the file should be removed is something that can be discussed on Wikipedia (i.e. WP:FFD), but whether it should be deleted is something that should be sorted out on Commons. -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:15, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Note: the image was kept after the congresswoman was sworn in. It's not yet clear (and consensus was not clear either) what to do before a congressperson is sworn in. I'm trying to be as specific as possible for a reason. AG202 (talk) 01:21, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- That's great, but again Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Anna_Paulina_Luna.jpg something to point out at Commons if the file ends up at DR or tagged for speedy deletion. Whether the file should be removed is something that can be discussed on Wikipedia (i.e. WP:FFD), but whether it should be deleted is something that should be sorted out on Commons. -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:15, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- To help answer the earlier question about whether Commons had this discussion before the answer is actually yes and the image was kept. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests/File:Anna_Paulina_Luna.jpg Wollers14 (talk) 01:07, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Nobody taking an image down doesn't necessarily mean it's licensed correctly. As I posted above and below, this is a file uploaded to Commons and whether it's OK as licensed or should be deleted is a question for Commons. However, whether the file should be used for encyclopedic purposes on Wikipedia is a question for Wikipedia. If the local consensus is that the file is OK per WP:COPY#Guidelines for images and other media files and has no WP:F9 or WP:F11 issues, then Wikipedia can probably continue using it. The file can still end up being deleted from Commons though. -- Marchjuly (talk) 00:55, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Not that I remember I just know that nobody took them down. Beth Van Duyne and Tony Gonzales also did the same in 2020 when they were first elected (I'm feeling old now) Also the account that Hamadeh used to post it was not his personal account but the account he will use when he officially gets sworn in which have the gray check marks if you use X. Wollers14 (talk) Wollers14 (talk) 00:45, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- The Tim Sheehy image is a crop of a larger image of Sheehy and Ryan Zinke that is claimed to have been taken by a member of Zinke after he officially became a congressman. That's a completely different situation than what's being discussed here. It would be certainly fine for a crop of a similar image taken by of Hamadeh and someone else that is licensed as PD-USGov (i.e. taken by an employee of the federal government as part of their official duties) to be used. Such a photo wouldn't even need to be a photo of Hamadeh and another public official; it could be Hamadeh and anyone or anything. As for the other images, files generally don't really go through a vetting process before they're uploaded; so, anyone could upload an image to Commons, claim it's licensed as such and such, and nobody would verify whether that's the case before the file is uploaded. If there's a problem with a file's licensing, it's usually something pointed out later (sometimes much later). Anyway, if the photos were taken the orientation phase for new members by an federal employee as part of their official duties, then it should be fine. I'm assuming such a thing should be fairly easy to verify if it's something that happens every election cycle. Either way, the file was uploaded to Commons and it needs to sorted out there. Whether the file should be used in the article about Hamadeh is a question for local consensus to decide perhaps, but whether it should be deleted is something to resolve on Commons. -- Marchjuly (talk) 00:43, 22 November 2024 (UTC)-- Marchjuly (talk) 00:43, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Was the issue brought up then with Cory Millis and Anna Paulina Luna? If so, please point me to the relevant discussions. It's better to be safe than sorry, and I want to make sure that the policy is clear. Keep in mind as well that Abraham Hamadeh is not yet a congressperson, but a congressperson-elect, hence not yet officially a member of government. (Ryan Zinke was already a member at the time of posting) There's no harm in getting more information and/or at least waiting until the 119th Congress is sworn in. AG202 (talk) 00:26, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- The images are clearly taken by officials of the US Government so I would say yes and if a member posts it of their own volition I would say it qualifies. In fact if you look at Tim Sheehy's main picture you will see it comes from Ryan Zinke's Instagram page when they were at a campaign event together. We've also used images from freshmen before like when Cory Mills and Anna Paulina Luna posted theirs when they were first elected. There was no issue then and I don't see why there would be an issue now. Wollers14 (talk) 00:21, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- Yes, but the issue is that it hasn't yet been published by House.gov. Does a congressperson, edit: congressperson-elect in particular, posting an image solely on social media count as public domain? Does it count as a work of the U.S. federal government? That's what led me to bring the topic here. AG202 (talk) 00:15, 22 November 2024 (UTC)
- As an update for anyone reading, the Commons discussion has a user Wollers14 confirm with the House Creative Services via email that they took the photo. Hasn't been any update on if there should be anything done for the information that its by them or not for a template, but I think it should be fine to be used. reppoptalk 22:46, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
- I've added the image back to the pages. If there are any objections feel free to ping me on this discussion or the other one. Wollers14 (talk) 04:51, 4 December 2024 (UTC)
Does a 1934 UK photo require fair use?
This question is regarding File:Angus Kennedy, 6th Marquess of Ailsa.jpg. It was taken in the United Kingdom in 1934, and the author is simply stated as Bassano Ltd (i.e. not a person) at NPG. Since both Copyright Act 1911 and Copyright Act 1956 state that copyright of photographs subsist for fifty years from the year which the negative was derived/published, I wonder if the photo should be free instead of fair use. ネイ (talk) 16:35, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
- Per [[7]], for an unknown author, UK copyright for a photo taken before 1 June 1957 expires 70 years after publishing, or 70 years after creation if unpublished. If it was unpublished, then this would give UK copyright expiry in 2004, but since it was still in copyright in the UK in 1996, US copyright would have been restored under the URAA in 1996, so I think it still needs to be treated as fair use, as Wikipedia's servers are in the US.Nigel Ish (talk) 17:19, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you for your help. ネイ (talk) 05:14, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
rights-managed license from Getty Images Entertainment
Hi- I want to upload an image of Alex Shapiro that's been licensed from Getty Images Entertainment and didn't know how to do so since it's not through Creative Commons or in the public domain. Photographer is Tommaso Boddi. Llk.grab.bag (talk) 18:06, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
- Llk.grab.bag: Sorry to not have better news but it looks like Tommaso Boddi is still alive so his work is copyright until 70 after his death. He would have to release the image under a free licence we accept for us to use such a photo. Besides which Alex Shapiro is also still alive, so a freely licenced image can be made by someone for our use. ww2censor (talk) 18:19, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
- Hi Llk.grab.bag. In addition to what Ww2censor posted above, images from Getty and other commercial image rights agencies are petty much never allowed to be uploaded and used as non-free content per speedy deletion criterion F7 and item 7 of examples of unacceptable non-free image use because such a use is considered to almost always fail non-free content use criterion #2 unless the image itself (not the subject of the image) is the subject of sourced critical commentary in reliable sources. Given that Shapiro is living, any type of non-free image of them isn't, in principle, going to be allowed since it's reasonable to expect that someone could take their photo and release it under one of the free licenses OK for Wikipedia's purposes. Such a person could even be Shapiro themselves if they were to take a selfie or owns the rights to any other images taken of them by others. The person who takes a photo is pretty much considered to be the copyright holder of the photo; so, anyone who takes a photo of Shapiro is going to be considered its copyright holder unless they've transferred copyright ownerships to Shapiro. Given what's written about Shapiro in "Alex Shapiro", they probably have a pretty good understanding of image and media copyright, and might respond favorably if you were to try to contact them as explained in Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission to a request for a freely licensed image. -- Marchjuly (talk) 20:35, 25 November 2024 (UTC)
File:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. II. (1787.jpg
I'm not sure why File:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. II. (1787.jpg needs to be licensed as non-free given that it's sourced to Wikisource:Index:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu and the same image already exists on Commons as File:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu (page 7). -- Marchjuly (talk) 00:45, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
- Just going to update that the file's licensing was converted to
{{PD-old}}
by Cryptic. -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:24, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
C-SPAN screenshots
I'm not sure File:Lessig in June 1997.png and File:Kahle in 2023.png are licensed correctly because C-SPAN content isn't automatically within the public domain because it's from C-SPAN and C-SPAN isn't part of the US federal government. The reason why lots of content appearing on C-SPAN is c:Template:PD-CSPAN is because the video footage taken in the chambers in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate is, I believe, from video cameras owned by the US federal government that is operated by US federal government employees that is fed to C-SPAN for broadcasting purposes. Neither of that appears to be the case here, which means the copyrights on these videos are owned either by C-SPAN or whoever took the video and aren't public domain. -- Marchjuly (talk) 02:04, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
- Plus the contents are recorded from a federal building to (see File:Lessig in June 1997.png) which was recorded in a public hearing about the Supreme Court's term in 1996-1997. Kahle's case is that it was done online except the host possibly stayed in a federal building conducting this interview. Fluddsskark (talk) 06:00, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
- Being recorded in a federal building or at a public hearing doesn't mean something is public domain unless it was recorded by a federal employee as part of their official duties, and you're going to need to establish that to be the case since you're the uploader of the file. Regular people almost certainly take photos and record videos all the time on federal property, but that doesn't mean their photos and videos are public domain. -- Marchjuly (talk) 06:10, 26 November 2024 (UTC)
- C-SPAN licensing specifically states that "C-SPAN's video coverage of federal government events online for non-commercial purposes", which excludes most US Senate or US House coverage as those are specifically stated to be public domain. It doesn't include anything on the U.S. Court of Appeals or C-SPAN's Book TV series, and because there is a clear copyright notice (and its made post-1989), it should have been automatically assumed to be copyrighted. They should probably be deleted. reppoptalk 00:15, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
- To add on to this: c:Template:PD-CSPAN states "This file is in the public domain in the United States because it is a video, video still, or audio sample from the chambers of the US House or US Senate as published by C-SPAN" and "This does not apply to congressional committee hearings or any other federal government events other than those mentioned above; such content is free only for non-commercial use and is thus not acceptable under Commons' licensing policy." reppoptalk 00:21, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
Brush strokes in text logos
File:Katana Engine Logo.jpg and File:Pure Rxcing Logo.png seems to be simple text logos, except perhaps for the brush stroke imagery (i.e. the "K" in the first logo and the "X" in the second logo). Would this push either of these above c:COM:TOO US. If it doesn't, the logos should be OK to at least convert to {{PD-ineligible-USonly}}
depending on how you interpret c:COM:TOO Japan and c:COM:Lithuania. Anyone have an opinion on this? -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:06, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
1928 image with large watermark
There is a picture I would like to add to the C&O desk article of it being used by the Van Sweringen brothers in 1928. The issue is that while the image should be out of copyright a large watermark appears on the picture by the historic society that uploaded it (the image can be found in THIS ARCHIVE by searching for item number 30107). Does this watermark make the image unusable? Can I upload it then ask for help removing the watermark? Is it not actually out of copyright because of this watermark? Any help would be appreciated. Found5dollar (talk) 02:30, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
- Hi Found5dollar. If you believe the image to be out of copyright (i.e. its date of first publication (not date of creation) can clearly be established to be before January 1, 1929) it should be OK for Commons regardless of whether its watermarked as explained in meta:Wikilegal/Removal of watermarks from Commons images and c:Help:Removing watermarks. I can't see the image your referring to in this case (I could be searching wrong or the item number you gave could be wrong), but generally Commons seems to be OK with removing watermarks from images which are clearly within the public domain (i.e. a clear case of copyfraud or c:COM:LL), and you can find some examples of this in c:Category:Images which had their watermark removed. If you don't want to try to remove the watermark yourself, you could upload the file as is and tag it with c:Template:Watermark which will add it to c:Category:Images with watermarks, you could then ask as c:COM:GL/P to see whether someone else might be able to remove it. If you're not sure whether the image is PD in addition to whether it's OK to upload with a watermark, you could ask about both at c:COM:VPC. It will probably be better when asking for help to provide a direct link to the image (if possible), though, because people might deciding try search for it in some archive is more trouble than it's worth. You might also try a reverse image search using something like TinEye because you might be able to find another version of the same image without a watermark being used. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:45, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
- For info: this seems to link to the item. -- Asclepias (talk) 19:02, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Documenting Obvious Facts
How are you supposed to document an obvious fact? For instance, the town of Coraopolis is located along the Ohio River and is in Pennsylvania. How do you document this? The town is served by two newspapers and three TV stations and Interstate I-79. How do you document this? 217.180.202.124 (talk) 18:51, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
- Courtesy link: Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
- This isn't a question for this board - I'd refer you to WP:HELPDESK or WP:TEAHOUSE but those are currently closed temporarily. You can discuss this on Coraopolis' talk page Talk:Coraopolis, Pennsylvania or alternatively at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Pennsylvania and a volunteer editor there is more than likely to help find a source. Given the low amount of pageviews, though, you're better off asking at the Wikiproject page. Cheers! Departure– (talk) 23:04, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
Is this a sculpture or a rocket on a stand?
File:JFKRocket.JPG On that page the uploader says they took the photo and release all rights to it. But the question now is whether this is a sculpture or just a "rocket on a stand." Would freedom of panorama apply here? I know nothing about this beyond what is on the image's page. Oona Wikiwalker (talk) 21:08, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
- Or is it a logo?[8] This version File:JFKRocketa.png also exists. Per https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Copyright_rules_by_territory/United_States#Freedom_of_panorama I'm leaning that we can't have it. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 21:35, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
- if one fails FOP, they both fail FOP. Nthep (talk) 22:59, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
- Yup. For context, it's from John F. Kennedy High School (Texas). Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 04:18, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- if one fails FOP, they both fail FOP. Nthep (talk) 22:59, 2 December 2024 (UTC)
- Does anyone have any idea when the rocket/sculpture was put up? Felix QW (talk) 08:21, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- 1963 or later. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:30, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- If it was erected before 1978 and does not bear a copyright notice, chances are it lost its copyright protection per c:Commons:Public art and copyright in the US. Felix QW (talk) 09:18, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- If this [9] has any authority, before 1978 seems unlikely. 1988 at the earliest. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:31, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- If it was erected before 1978 and does not bear a copyright notice, chances are it lost its copyright protection per c:Commons:Public art and copyright in the US. Felix QW (talk) 09:18, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- 1963 or later. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:30, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
1915 image from Botswana
I'm looking to add this image to Seepapitso III: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eai7p5bXkAYKJeS?format=jpg. The photo was taken in 1915. I found it in The Birth of Botswana (1987) but can't find where they got it from or when it was first published. I also don't know the photographer. Is there any license I can upload it under? Or would it be non-free use? Thebiguglyalien (talk) 04:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- Hi Thebiguglyalien. Here are some things I think might apply to such an image.
- If you can demonstrate the photo was published anywhere prior to January 1, 1929, it would likely be public domain under US copyright law as
{{PD-US}}
or{{PD-US-expired}}
. The image sort of looks like a flyer or advertisement which means that it might be considered to be published if copies of it were distributed to others. - If you can figure out who took the photo and find out when they died, it could be
{{PD-old-70}}
even if first published in 1987 as long as the photo wasn't still under copyright protection as of the URAA date of the country of first publication. Per c:COM:Botswana, Botswana applies a 50 year p.m.a. which means it would need to be shown the author died before January 1, 1946. - If the image was first published in 1987, but the publication lacked a copyright notice and wasn't subsequently registered for copyright protection within five years of publication, the publication itself could be within the public domain per c:Template:PD-US-1978-1989 or
{{PD-1996}}
. - If you're unable find out 1, 2 or 3, most likely it's going to be treated as an unknown anonymous work which means it could be eligible for copyright protection for up to 120 years after creation or 95 years after first publication, whichever is lesser.
- If you can demonstrate the photo was published anywhere prior to January 1, 1929, it would likely be public domain under US copyright law as
- Of course, my assessment might be incorrect and others will probably correct me if it is. You could also ask about this at c:COM:VPC because that's probably where the image should be uploaded if it's PD.As for whether the image can be used as non-free content, in principle, yes it could qualify as
{{Non-free biog pic}}
given that the subject is deceased, but meeting WP:FREER could be an issue because of when the subject died. Even if this particular image isn't PD, there might be another image capable of serving the same purpose encyclopedic purpose as this or any other non-free one that could be found and used instead. -- Marchjuly (talk) 06:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC) - I would think that this image should be fine. While the US concept of "publication" for old works is a little murky, the rule of thumb generally applied on Commons is that US law considered photographs to be published when they leave the confine of a commercial photographer and are passed to the client. This implies that studio portraits such as this one can almost always be assumed to have been published shortly after creation.
- For Commons, there remains Botswanan copyright to consider. Since copyright lasts until 50 years after the death of the author, Commons permits that if we do not know the death dates of the author, we assume that they will not have lived more than fifty years after the work in question, allowing for this photo to be assumed PD in Botswana since 2016.
- On Commons, this can all be condensed into the single license tag {{PD-old-assumed-expired|duration=50}}, Felix QW (talk) 08:20, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you! I've uploaded it at Commons:File:Seepapitso Bathoen Gaseitsiwe.jpg. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 17:02, 3 December 2024 (UTC)