Wikipedia:Media copyright questions

Media copyright questions
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. How to add a copyright tag to an existing image On the description page of the image (the one whose name starts File:), click Edit this page. From the page Wikipedia:File copyright tags, choose the appropriate tag: For work you created yourself, use one of the ones listed under the heading "For image creators". For a work downloaded from the internet, please understand that the vast majority of images from the internet are not appropriate for use on Wikipedia. Exceptions include images from flickr that have an acceptable license, images that are in the public domain because of their age or because they were created by the United States federal government, or images used under a claim of fair use. If you do not know what you are doing, please post a link to the image here and ask BEFORE uploading it. For an image created by someone else who has licensed their image under the GFDL, an acceptable Creative Commons license, or has released their image into the public domain, this permission must be documented. Please see Requesting copyright permission for more information. Type the name of the tag (e.g.; {{GFDL-self}}), not forgetting {{ before and }} after, in the edit box on the image's description page. Remove any existing tag complaining that the image has no tag (for example, {{untagged}}) Hit Publish changes. If you still have questions, go on to "How to ask a question" below. How to ask a question To ask a new question hit the "Click here to start a new discussion" link below. Please sign your question by typing ~~~~ at the end. Check this page for updates, or request to be notified on your talk page. Don't include your email address, for your own privacy. We will respond here and cannot respond by email. Note for those replying to posted questions If a question clearly does not belong on this page, reply to it using the template {{mcq-wrong}} and, if possible, leave a note on the poster's talk page. For copyright issues relevant to Commons where questions arising cannot be answered locally, questions may be directed to Commons:Commons:Village pump/Copyright.
Click here to start a new discussion

(For help, see Wikipedia:Purge)

Egypt copyright law (1954)

Hi there. I see User:Ashashyou has placed this image Mahmoud Khalil Al-Housary under public domain by the virtue of Egypt's 1954 law that was applicable on works published prior to 2002.

So, would the Qur'an (audio) recitations of the famous Egyptian reciters (El Minshawi, Al Hussary, Abdul Basit Abdus Samad, Mustafa Ismail) fall under public domain too, especially since most of them published their works well before 2002 regardless of whether anyone claims legal rights to the recitals (record companies or firms that acquired rights to the recordings post their deaths or secured rights in other countries)?

Thanks.

Originally asked here: User_talk:Ashashyou#Egypt_copyright_laws and here Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive_1068#Egypt_copyright_law_(1954).

Ludicrous

Games of MN Lotto deserve their logos around here.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Band1301 (talk • contribs) 06:05, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

@Band1301: Do you a specific question about logo use in articles? It will be easier for others to help you sort things out if they knew which article(s) and which file(s) you're asking about. It seems you're asking about File:MN Lotto previous logo.png. Non-free content use in not automatic and there are ten specific criteria that need to be met each time a non-free file is used in an article; the file you unploaded currently fails a number of these criterion as indicated by the templates added to it page; so, if you want to ask specific questions about these things, feel free to do so. If the issues, however, aren't resolved fairly soon, the file is going to end up being deleted. -- Marchjuly (talk) 06:35, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

it has to come.Band1301 (talk) 06:52, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

@Band1301: I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean. There are quite a number of notifications related to image use added to your user talk page, which might mean that you should take a look at Wikipedia:Image use policy for some general ideas regarding how to upload and use image files. Such notifications typically are only added when there's a problem with a file that has been uploaded or with the way a file is being used. It's OK to make mistakes, but repeating the same mistakes over and over again is generally not a good sign. Wikipedia's non-free content use policy is quite restrictive and it can be tricky to use non-free files in articles; so, instead of simlply re-adding non-free files which have been removed (particularly when they've been removed by a bot), it's best to ask for help and try to figure out why the file was removed. Editors who continually (even unintentionally) violate Wikipedia's image use policy often find themselves being blocked by an administrator, especially when they've received so many notifications. So, if you've gotten a particular question about a particular file, then perhaps someone here can help you before you end up being blocked. -- Marchjuly (talk) 07:23, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

UK law

Is UK legislation copyrighted? I would like to use this image (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/images/ukpga_19860035_en.jpg) on the relevant page. Better yet, I'd like to upload the PDF to Wikimedia, but I just don't know what the copyright status of legislation is. Faceless Enemy (talk) 23:49, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

As legislation it should fall under the Open Government Licence as described here [1]; OGL is a compatible free license for Commons and other sites. Coming from the main site and searching for that legislation, I get this page [2] where I see no notice to say that the OGL does not apply. So yes, this should be fine to use and upload to Commons. You'll want to use the template license {{OGL3}} there when you upload and make sure to link to the page I point to that shows the absence of any other license qualifier. --Masem (t) 00:23, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

@Masem: that's incredibly helpful, thank you!! Faceless Enemy (talk) 00:49, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

@Faceless Enemy: before you upload, check the OGL in full. While Masem is right, I have a recollection that the Royal coat of arms is specifically excluded from the OGL. Nthep (talk) 10:03, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

The OGL "does not cover ... the Royal Arms except where they form an integral part of a document or dataset".[3] I see they are included on the OGL statement itself! Thincat (talk) 10:18, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

@Masem:@Thincat: it appears they are an integral part of the document, since the government included them at the top of the table of contents, and at the top of the first page of the Act. Faceless Enemy (talk) 18:47, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

And the page that I pointed to says that it is only available as a PDF at this point in time. And its clearly a scanned document from the original printed version, so it is sorta integral... --Masem (t) 18:56, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Faceless Enemy: The only thing copyrightable in this legislation front page image https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/35/images/ukpga_19860035_en.jpg would be the Royal Arms. That has been in use for more than the 50 years covered by crown copyright. Here is a use of the same image used in the Ghana Independence Act 1957 found here. ww2censor (talk) 23:11, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Yoakum Residence.jpg image

This image File:Yoakum Residence.jpgis from the Farmingdale Public Library digital image collection from NY Heritage digital collection. I think that it is in the public domain, but I am not sure. Please advise. http://nyheritage.nnyln.org/digital/collection/p15281coll40/id/86/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kuasol1 (talk • contribs) 07:10, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Please help with determining any copyright information on File:Yoakum Residence.jpg image in "Benjamin F. Yoakum" from the Farmingdale Public Library digital collection, I think originally from NY Heritage digital collection. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kuasol1 (talk • contribs) 07:15, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

The image is here where it says it is in copyright but educational use is permitted. If this statement is correct it could not be uploaded to Commons and on Wikipedia it could only be used under our Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria requiring an WP:NFUR. As it stands, the image File:Yoakum Residence.jpg you uploaded will soon be deleted. Thincat (talk) 11:25, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

I see NY Heritage is claiming copyright on items that are clearly out of copyright.[4] Thincat (talk) 11:29, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Kuasol1: Making such claims is copyfraud but many organisation do it; to make money and/or out of ignorance of copyright law. Anyway, the details, of 2 versions, are found in this websearch but your image seems to just be a photograph that may or may not have been published or does not show exactly when it was created. It does not look like a postcard that was published. Unpublished anonymous works are copyright for 120 years. If you can determine that it was published the situation varies so please consult the Hirtle chart for details. ww2censor (talk) 11:57, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Stanley Cursiter image questions

Hey, I've been doing some editing of the Stanley Cursiter article(s) and got a couple of questions.

1: Would it be permissible to use File:Cursiter, The Regatta.jpg on a different language wiki article, specifically the Scots article on Stanley Cursieter (given the whole 70 year copyright thing), and if it is allowed how would I do so? I'm asking here because it's got a warning template on it forbidding uploading to Commons due to it still being in copyright in the UK, and scowiki appears to lack an actual image policy.

2: There's a portrait of Cursiter taken by Lafayette in 1934 which was given to the National Portrait Gallery in 1989 (link). The site appears to offer a "Creative Commons" version, and I'm a bit unsure of how to proceed with obtaining/using the image, such as can it be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons or just locally on wikis under NFCC, if at all. I've tried contacting the NPG to ascertain its copyright status but their site has been returning errors. Thanks CiphriusKane (talk) 10:03, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Hi CiphriusKane. Regarding your first question, that file is uploaded locally to English Wikipedia which means it can only be used on English Wikipedia. So, in order for it to be used on Scottish Wikipedia, you will either (1) have to upload the file to Commons or (2) upload the file locally to Scottish Wikipedia. If the file is still protected by copyright in the UK, (1) is probably not an option unless you can get the consent of the copyright holder. Whether you can upload the file locally to Scottish Wikipedia might depend upon c:COM:Scotland or whether Scottish Wikipedia allows fair use content. Some Wikipedias do but others don’t, and I’m not sure whether Scottish Wikipedia has its own version of WP:NFC.

As for your second question, try looking at c:COM:L. The photo doesn’t seem old enough to be PD simply because of its age, but if there’s a version of it released under a license accepted by Commons, it should be OK to upload. Just for reference, not all Creative Commons licenses are the same and those that place any type of restriction on commercial use or derivative use won’t be accepted by Commons. I didn’t notice a license on the NPG page you linked to above, but they do seem to be selling the photo. If they’re selling copies of the photo, they might not have released it under an acceptable license to protect their commercial interests. — Marchjuly (talk) 10:55, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

There is a version of the portrait image licensed for limited non-commercial use and specifies it can be used "online in scholarly and non-profit publications and websites" here, so would uploading it to the local wikis (as non-profit websites) be acceptable? CiphriusKane (talk) 14:08, 23 December 2020 (UTC)

Such a license is, unfortunately, still too restrictive per c:COM:L and WP:COPY#Guidelines for images and other media files. The CC licenses Wikipedia and Commons accept are listed at c:COM:CC and "educational use only" or "non-profit use only" are not a type of "free license" that either accepts. Basically, the only types of free license that are accepted are those where the copyright holder is giving everyone in the world permission to download the file at anytime and use for any purpose. The license you've described above would be treated as non-free content locally on English Wikipedia, but wouldn't be accepted by Commons per c:COM:FAIR. I've got no idea about Scots Wikipedia since there's nothing listed about that here. You may have to ask about that at Scots Wikipedia. -- Marchjuly (talk) 14:21, 23 December 2020 (UTC)

Three images tagged for deletion

Three images I've uploaded ([5], [6], [7]) on Wikipedia under the fair use rationale, have been tagged for deletion which I was notified about on my talk page [8]

I wanted to check if I've understood it correctly - is the fair use rationale I've used not sufficient if it could be argued that it would be possible to find equivalent free images in the future, or just that there is doubt that there isn't one already available?

I've searched quite extensively for images to use for skyline images of Taghavard, Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher, on Commons and elsewhere. Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher have been heavily shelled and are currently uninhabited, and Taghavard is on the frontlines after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and access isn't currently available for the inhabitants so I considered it to be fair use with regard to the "historical image" description. AntonSamuel (talk) 14:19, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

AntonSamuel: The answer is these three images can be replaced with freely licensed ones. The places exist so someone can go there, though maybe not right now, and take a photo that they release freely. For that reason they immediately fail the 1st requirement of our non-free criteria which is actually much stricter than fair use law. While you may not have found freely licensed images you may want to keep on trying if you want to include them in those articles. You could always ask the current copyright holders if they would release them under a free licence we accept. Non-free use of images is generally reserved for images that can never be created, such a dead people, after a suitable amount of time has passed to try to find an image, or places and things that no longer exist, such as File:Railway Road bomb 1973.jpeg or File:Horton House image from 1927.jpg. ww2censor (talk) 15:21, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

Album Covers, Fair Use?

Hi! I'd like to know if I could upload the album cover for Garibaldi Guard! because I saw other albums have pictures, but I have no clue how the copyright and uploading process works, thanks! SnazzyInfinity (chat? • what I've done) 16:00, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

SnazzyInfinity: For album covers used in an article about that album, the cover art can be uploaded for inclusion in the infobox. The following two templates exist that need to be used together: {{Album rationale}} and {{Non-free album cover}}. Check them out to see how to use them. ww2censor (talk) 21:13, 24 December 2020 (UTC)

Image upload

Hi Team,

I have created a biographical article for a public figure and I would like to upload images from his Facebook page and his websites. Do you accept such sources or is it enough to just mention the url or do I need to get a permission for that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dineee90 (talk • contribs) 10:14, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Hi Dineee90. Please take a look at c:Commons:Licensing, c:Commons:OTRS#If you are NOT the copyright holder and Wikipedia:Copyrights#Guidelines for images and other media files, but basically the copyright holder will need to give their WP:CONSENT for any of there work to be uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons. You can find some examples of how to ask for someone’s consent at WP:PERMISSION. Wikipedia does, however, allow certain types of copyrighted content to be uploaded with out such permission as Wikipedia:Non-free content (Commons doesn’t all any such content), but its use is highly restricted. — Marchjuly (talk) 10:43, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Non-free Microsoft screenshot license and low-resolution

If a screenshot is being used under Microsoft's non-free license, does it also need to be low-resolution? I know Wikipedia holds itself to stricter rules than necessary when dealing with fair-use, but this is an actual license rather than fair-use. Sunmist (talk) 17:33, 27 December 2020 (UTC)

@Sunmist: Yes. The template says that the image must comply with the WP:NFCC criteria. RudolfRed (talk) 23:16, 27 December 2020 (UTC)