Commons:Help desk/Archive/2008/03

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I've just uploaded six new images that I wanted to add to a gallery, and Wikimedia Commons isn't letting me do it. The gallery is Great Neck (LIRR station), and the images are here:

Plus, whenever I upload any images, it doesn't give me the option of adding it to English Wikimedia. And it doesn't let me add them to any categories either. The help page tells me nothing. ----DanTD 14:34, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

To add images in gallery you could use next code:

<gallery>
Image:Great Neck Station-2-.jpg|description
...
</gallery>
To use image in English Wikipedia: just add [[Image:Great Neck Station-2-.jpg|thumb|Description]] in article text.
To add image into category, just add next text into image description: [[Category:Category name here]].
EugeneZelenko 16:43, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
I changed my mind. When I tried to make it, I found they were all lined up vertically. I somehow inadvertently made a combination of a gallery and a category instead (Category:Great Neck (LIRR station)), and I'm having trouble making a duplicate of another image to add to that category. ---DanTD 17:39, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Photo from Russian Wiki

I'd like to use photo from Russian Wiki

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%83%D0%BC%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%B2%2C_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD_%D0%92%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87

in the respective English page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentin_Vital%27yevich_Rumyantsev

but I don't know the author of the photo, so it will be deleted fro the Wikicommons.

Please, help me to use the it directly, without supplementary loading. Aburov 10:17, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't think that's possible. What you could do is upload the picture at English Wikipedia with a fair use claim. There is no chance to make a new picture, so it will probably get accepted. --rimshottalk 10:34, 29 February 2008 (UTC)
The Russian version has a pd-self license... -Nard 14:34, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Transferred Images to the Commons; Will they still exist in Main Wiki?

I've got at least six images that I want to transfer into a new gallery from the mainstream Wikipedia. If I do so, how can I be sure that at least two of them will still show up in their respected Wikipedia articles? ----DanTD 14:39, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Images from Commons can be used in any Wikipedia just like local images. If you want to transfer images from a Wikipedia to Commons, be sure to use the Commons Helper. It's the easiest way to do it. Also be sure that the license is acceptable on Commons. Moving images to the Commons has all necessary information. --rimshottalk 16:08, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Can someone edit this image please?

- can someone cut the bottom section off showing the crowd to focus the image on the band itself more? I'd do it myself but I don't want to get involved on Commons, I prefer to limit myself to the main Wikipedia site. 91.108.228.201 18:24, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Take it to Commons:Graphic Lab School/Images to improve there are some instructions -- I think that you can follow them without becoming too involved here. -- carol 23:24, 2 March 2008 (UTC)


Author died more than 70 years ago, still not PD in US?

Hi; I uploaded the pictures in Category:Walter Mittelholzer because the Swiss photographer Mittelholzer died in 1937 and I thought that his photographs are nearly universally PD now. The licensing tag PD-old which I used says simply "This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years" which led me to believe that works of authors who died more than 70 years ago are free in the United States, too. I am knowledgeable mainly in continental European copyright law resp. Urheberrecht; here it is clearly the case that any work by an author who died before 1938 and which was published when the autor lived is now copyright-free. The book I took the photographs from was published in Switzerland (where I live). I have now learned that things seem to be much more complicated regarding US copyright law at en:User_talk:Haukurth#Template:PD-old-70. Unlike in European law, publication years seem to be important, and according to http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/ , a work "Solely published abroad, without compliance with US formalities or republication in the US, and not in the public domain in its home country as of 1 January 1996" is protected in the USA for 95 years after publication date - which would mean that the photographs from Mittelholzer's book "Tschadseeflug" (published in 1932) are protected in the USA until the year 2027. (They are in the public domain in Switzerland now, but were not in 1996). So, as images on Commons must be legal in the USA as well as in the originating country, should I request deletion of the Mittelholzer images? If this is the case, the PD-old tag must be changed, too, as it would be misleading. Gestumblindi 19:28, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

You are not well informed. The problem has debated several times here, AFAIK the last time [1]. We have thousands of such media and the first step of this unfortunate Lupo-driven initiative will be to tag the pictures and not to delete them (Lupo: "no rash deletions") --Historiograf 20:09, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. So this means: no action, wait for the tagging initiative? You say on de:WP:URF that the issue affects tens of thousands of pictures... looks like something we can wait many years for then, seeing that it takes already months just to handle simple duplicate deletion requests here... Gestumblindi 20:50, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Files that are not outright copyright violations are very low priority. PD in country of origin will almost always be accepted unless individually challenged. -Nard 20:54, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Hmmm... what does this mean for future uploads? E.g. should I continue to upload photographs by Mittelholzer here using PD-old or use the German Wikipedia instead? Gestumblindi 21:15, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Just my humble opinion, this means Commons is still trying to come to consensus on the issue and deleting these files is not a first priority. Individual files nominated for deletion will still be processed as soon as they can but the vast majority are not going to be hunted down, or they may be tagged but not deleted. Unfortunately the United States does not honor the rule of the shorter term and some of the cumulative effects of the URAA and the Sonny Bono act mean that some items are protected in the US for far longer than they should be. Copyright harmonisation is another issue many people dislike for the same reason. Why must Italian photographs be banned from Commons even if they are legal in Italy AND the USA just because Germany says they are still copyrighted? To answer your question, I believe this means you are on notice such files may be deleted, but not at present. -Nard 21:27, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
To answer your question, I believe this means you are on notice such files may be deleted, but not at present. - well, this is a risk I don't wish to take (creating more work in the future, having to upload the files a second time in the German Wikipedia), therefore I will not upload such files here from now on. There is still the issue that even the servers of the German Wikipedia are hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation in the USA which leads people to say that the same rules should apply there, but it seems even less likely that this will be enforced. Gestumblindi 21:36, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
  • Stop stop stop. Learn the intricacies of Swiss copyright law first. In Switzerland, anything of an author who died 1942 or earlier is PD, and in fact in Mittelholzer's case the copyright expired at the end of 1987, before the U.S. URAA date. Hence no URAA restorations for these. Mittelholzer's photos are PD in Switzerland, in 70years-p.m.a. countries, and in the U.S. (unless published there, registered for copyright, and copyright renewed). I've tagged the images accordingly with {{PD-URAA}}. Lupo 12:49, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
    BTW, a far more interesting case is Paul Klee: some of his works would be treated as Swiss works, others as German works. He was German, but born in Switzerland. Lived and worked in both countries. Works first published in Germany, Switzerland, the U.S., and other countries. Copyrights may have been registered in the U.S. His works are clearly PD in Switzerland (he died 1942), but not yet in Germany (wait for 2013), and his non-Swiss works might also be copyrighted in the U.S. Now there's some fun ;-/ Lupo 12:58, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
Thank you, Lupo, that's very interesting and a relief to know (regarding Mittelholzer). You wrote in the tag: The Swiss copyright on Mittelholzer's work's expired at the end of 1987, since Switzerland had a copyright term of 50 years p.m.a. until 1993, and the extension to 70 years p.m.a. made in 1993 did not restore already expired copyrights. I did not know that the extension to 70 years p.m.a. was made that recently in Switzerland, assumed 70 years p.m.a. to be in effect since much longer. Now that I know that Mittelholzer's work is clearly PD not only in Switzerland but also in the USA, I will happily continue to upload his photos of which I think they can enrichen many Wikipedia articles (and use the tag you used). :-). Gestumblindi 14:39, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
By all means do. For case similar to Mittelholzer, see Category:Eduard Spelterini... I plan to upload more of his photos soon. Sources for my claim are the article on Swiss opyright law, and the court case that settled this matter in Switzerland very clearly. Just don't upload stuff from people who died less than 70 years ago (like Paul Klee) as these works would be usable only in CH and in the U.S. Such works are better uploaded locally at en-WP and tagged with {{Do not move to Commons}}. (That is not to say that people should upload Paul Klee's works. As I said above, there may be U.S. copyrights on them (original ones, or restored ones)!) Lupo 16:25, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Undelete request

Dear all,

apparently, something was unclear about license information I gave for the image Image:Light_deflection.png, which I uploaded some time ago. I didn't see the notification about this problem on my talk page before it was too late, and the image had been deleted. I do have all the rights to that image, and meant to release it under a proper license, but I do have trouble finding in my personal files the version I uploaded; could some administrator here possibly undelete the image? I'll be sure to resolve the license issue right away. The image is entirely my own work, and I meant (and still mean to) to release it under cc-by-sa-3.0. Thanks in advance!

Mapos 14:42, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

I restored image and added license. --EugeneZelenko 15:12, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
That was fast. Great, thanks! Mapos 23:31, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

What happens when you upload a file to Wikimedia Commons and you gave false information about it, knowingly or not? This is just all so new for me, I don't really know what to do and how to do it. —the preceding unsigned comment was added by Orpheus1989 (talk • contribs) 20:11, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Once it's detected (and it usually is), the information hopefully gets corrected if it's a public domain or freely licensed work (but don't rely on this). Otherwise, the file is deleted. If you do it repeatedly, you may be blocked either for a limited time or until you give a credible indication that it won't happen again, to protect Commons (and yourself) from nasty legal consequences.
If you're not sure how to use Commons, try to read as much as possible of the wealth of information available here, and by all means ask, as you have done. It's usually a bad idea to make uninformed guesses when it comes to legal stuff, though. Essential reading includes Commons:Licensing and Commons:First steps. —LX (talk, contribs) 20:26, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

proper license?

What would apply to this image?ancient warrior
  • part of Bronze belt plaque from Vace,Slovenia,Yugoslavia,400 BC
  • Celtic Art: From Its Beginnings to the Book of Kells by M. Ruth Megaw,ISBN-10: 050028265X,2001,page 39

Megistias 23:24, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

I can't tell with the information you given. Since it's a 3D object (engraving), the photographer owns the copyright to the image. It may be public domain due to age, but we would need to know when (and where) it was first published. - Rocket000 08:28, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
So if i scan or take the photo myself i can use a normal license.What would that be? I can scan it today!Megistias 08:50, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
Well, taking a photo of a 3D public domain work (the belt plaque itself) would give you the rights to release that photo under anything you want including the public domain (it could also be {{GFDL}}, {{CC-BY}} or any of these other ones - your choice). However, scanning a copyrighted photo does not give you the rights. So, in other words, you may take a photo of the plaque and upload or if you find out the copyright status of that photo and turns out to be PD, then you can upload that. - Rocket000 09:17, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
An important point.This is like 1/10th of the belt photo in the net.Fair use?Also i didnt get the above.I have the book so you say i cant scan it but i cant take its picture? Or i have to go the museum in Slovenia/Yugoslavia and take a pic.Megistias 09:29, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
The belt is public domain, so it doesn't matter how much of it you use - it could be 1/10 or the whole thing - it's still free. 1/10 of the photo is also the same as the whole thing - it's still copyrighted (unless you find out it's not). It could be fair use, but remember, fair use isn't allowed here anyway. If you take a photo of copyrighted 2D work (another photo in a book) it's the same as scanning it, which doesn't give you the rights. But going to the museum and taking a picture would then give you rights. See the photo is copyrighted and the belt isn't. That's why you're allowed to take a picture of the belt and not a picture (or scan) of the photo of the belt. Get it? :) - Rocket000 10:13, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
Thanks guys i get it now.Since i cant go to the museum and the other choices will result in low quality results....What if i sketch a copy of the warrior and then upload it with quoting the sources?Megistias 10:18, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
What about this trimmed and modified digitally [2]version?Or else i ll have to do a paper sketch and then scan it.Megistias 10:32, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
If i get the permission or mention the ones that made the reproduction can we use it?
Its from here noricumMegistias 10:36, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
I emailed to ask themMegistias 10:46, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
They said its ok i am uploading it!Megistias 12:35, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Hi Megistias, thanks that you're so committed to upload free material!
A picture which is copyrighted cannot just be altered and then somehow "loses" the copyright. So if you just play around with trimming, modifying etc., you still use (a version of) the copyrighted picture. Beeep, not good. See Commons:Derivative works.
If you draw your own sketch from a work in the public domain, you're always on the safe side (as you can use and alter PD works).
If you draw your own sketch (i.e. freehand etc.) from a copyrighted work, to my understanding, that is okay--but please let someone else here confirm that! (I can't imagine that you are allowed to virtually copy, e.g., a painting and then claim that it's all your work. What was the catch here?)
If you can get the permission to use a copyrighted picture--or a version thereof--you're again fine. Please make sure, though, that satisfies the Commons requirements--most notably that *your* work/copy/version may then be 1.) altered and 2.) used commercially. See Commons:Licensing... and especially Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission (yes, the latter links to the English Wikipedia, but that's where the respective Commons links really go). ... I hope this helps. Good luck! --Ibn Battuta 04:04, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Image licensing

Hi, I am having difficulty with the licensing of an image that has been posted on Wikipedia for some time. The image, Image:Martyhogan.jpg, is over 100 years old and was created by a local photographer in 1894. I own the original. Given the age of the image, I felt safe licensing it under "Public Domaiin." I have been informed, however, that I haven't provided enough information to justifyut this license. In addition, a search for articles using this image yielded nothing, despite the fact that the image has been used in an English Wikipedia article for about two years. Any help on this would be appreciated. Cheers, -- Twelsht 15:28, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

short-cut to recategorizing pictures?

I'm trying to split the "category:sailboats" into sub-categories because it's just getting too full. Is there an easy way to recategorize all the single pictures in that category? I'm sick of clicking onto each and every picture, waiting for it to load enough so that I can click on "edit", make changes, enter a summary, click on "this is a minor edit", confirm... Is there a bot to which I could feed the names, sorted for the new category into which I want to sort the pictures? Or something even simpler? Thanks, Ibn Battuta 21:57, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at Cat-a-lot, you can enable it in your preferences, under the heading "gadgets". I never tried it, but it is supposed to help in a situation like the one you describe. --rimshottalk 11:35, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
Where on this globe are you, so you can get a rip-breaking bear hug?! ... Okay, I don't want to chase you off too soon--do you or someone else know(s) if there's a way of not having to confirm every single picture, i.e. I just click "move", maybe some sort of "confirm"... and then be done? --Ibn Battuta 03:34, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Can i license material from here?

Can i license material from this site?Hermann historicaIts in German and it auctionshermann ancient artifacts.isn't what they are doing illegal anyways?Megistias 13:37, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

No matter whether they are doing something illegal, the copyrights for the photographs of three-dimensional objects lie with the photographer. Therefore you cannot freely license material from that site, unless the photographer gives you permission to do so. --rimshottalk 13:49, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
Thanks.I highly doubt they will allow it but i will mail them.Megistias 14:00, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
Glory! they agreed what license should i use!?!Megistias 07:54, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
SHould i use this? {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}} Megistias 08:51, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
Which license you can use depends on what they said. If they said "do anything with it that you like", then you can use PD-old; if they stated a specific license, you'll have to use that. In any case, you must forward the mail to COM:OTRS, so that it can be verified. --rimshottalk 09:01, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
[3].ThisMegistias 09:03, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
I forwarded the email as well.Do i use the above license? this exactly {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}? Or worded differently?Megistias 09:08, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
Unfortunately, this is not enough. An OTRS volunteer will tell you that as well: the permission must not be restricted to Wikipedia use. Please read the OTRS page above, it also has some email templates. --rimshottalk 09:35, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
Ok i take it they will help me solve this.Thankou.Megistias 10:35, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
I emailed(herman) them using the template.Megistias 11:11, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Finding uncategorized images about a theme

Hi! Do you know if there is a way of just finding uncategorized images whose page has a specific word in it? I wouldn't like to make a global search about this word (the word "Pyrenees") and have to open every image found in order to see if it's categorized or not, of course! ;) -- Basilus 17:46, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd like to know the answer to the same question. Anyone, please? --RaNo 22:34, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

License for Image of unknown origin

Image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Marine_Crusader_Tugboat.jpg is from Marcon International and was uploaded by me. The picture is in their possession but they do not know who took it. Marcon is willing to license the picture for Wiki. What should the tag be?—the preceding unsigned comment was added by RogerTaft (talk • contribs)

Please read http://freedomdefined.org and Commons:Licensing and recommend Marcon International to choose free license(s) of its choice. --EugeneZelenko 15:18, 7 March 2008 (UTC)
Well, if they didn't create it themselves, they are not the copyright holders, and they cannot issue a licence to the work. —LX (talk, contribs) 17:31, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

why are these previews not rendering?

Check out Image:DDL.jpg and Image:Samantha Morton.jpg. If you click to the full-size image it's there, but on the preview page I can't see a thing. Also I have incorporated DDL.jpg into w:Daniel Day-Lewis and I can't see it there either. What's going on? (I've tried purging btw.) Calliopejen 05:44, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Both of them are showing fine for me. Try purging again...Commons server might've been playing up or something. giggy (:O) 08:14, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Image:Matthew Paul Deady.jpg

This along with two other files I uploaded are not displaying on the image page, and thus not in Wikipedia. Is it something I did in uploading, or a Commons problem? Aboutmovies 06:01, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Working fine for me, try purging cache. giggy (:O) 08:12, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Broken image

I just transferred Image:Raymond Wong Yuk Man.JPG to commons from zh.wikipedia using CommonsLinker. Somehow it broke and not showing the image after the transfer. However, if I click to see the actual image, I can see that it's uploaded properly. Any reasons why this is happening? OhanaUnitedTalk page 06:24, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

It's showing fine for me; try purging your cache. giggy (:O) 08:12, 7 March 2008 (UTC)
I had, it was a Commons error as shown by three people complaining about the same issue and then it magically fixing itself. Aboutmovies 18:00, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Using an image

Dear Sirs.,

Editora Dimensão is a Brazilian publishing house, and we are pouducing a Portuguese language collection. We need a photo of an specific Brazilian tree to use on one of the books. We found this imagem on Wikipedia (link: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagem:Caesalpinia_echinata_2.jpg), but we do not know whether we can use it or not, and if yes what credits should/must be mentioned.

We hope you can help us on this subject,

Sincerely,

F.H. Diógenes Editora Dimensão - Research 55 31 3411-2122 - Ext. 114 pesquisa@editoradimensao.com.br

Please see Commons:Reusing content outside Wikimedia, Image:Caesalpinia echinata 2.jpg#License information and Commons:GNU Free Documentation License. —LX (talk, contribs) 17:36, 7 March 2008 (UTC)
Or in short the reason why you probably will not be able to use this image in your book: it is released under the GNU-FDL which requires the full license text to be included in any print publication using such an image. I doubt that any publisher will print the full GNU-FDL text in a book just to be able to use a single picture, but if you wish to do so, you can - you can use the image "freely" if you print the GNU-FDL as well as the version history of the image (which in this case is quite short). Gestumblindi 19:53, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

3 Stooges Photo

I have a question about this three stooges picture.


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/The_Three_Stooges.jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:The_Three_Stooges.jpg&h=99&w=135&sz=40&tbnid=hEFamX5vaTUJ:&tbnh=99&tbnw=135&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=3


If I understand Commons correctly, it says I am free to use this photo in an advertising mailing. I can't figure out from the webpage WHO I am supposed to attribute this to, or how I attribute it, exactly- can you please help me? Please email me at <email removed>. Thank you very much.

The image page says it's public domain. There is no author given (who ever made the Three Stooges, I would think). Not to confuse you, but it also says it's released under {{CC-BY-2.5}}. I guess the uploader is claiming copyright status too. That would be Eamezaga if you feel like you want to credit him. - Rocket000 02:49, 8 March 2008 (UTC)
That cc-by-2.5 license doesn't make any sense, does it? If the film is in the public domain, how could the uploader be able to claim any copyright? --Ibn Battuta 02:09, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
I've noticed many users that don't understand copyright laws just slap random license templates on things in hopes of pleasing Commons ever-increasing demands for license documentation. A lot of the time (like in this case) the words of the uploader contradict the license tag! I wouldn't worry too much about things like that.. just do what makes sense. In this case, it's clearly public domain and the authors are the creators of The Three Stooges. You can credit them if you want but you don't need to. PD has no attribution clause, and morally speaking, everyone knows you didn't create the show. So to answer the original question, just use it however you want. :) - Rocket000 03:49, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Flags and logos - licensing

I have always had trouble figuring out the exact license or template to put for flags or corporate logos, and have the following questions:

  1. All country flags I've seen on Commons, as well as some municipal and similar flags, are licensed with PD templates and such - does this mean that flags are not copyrightable? Are company/commercial flags copyrightable?
  2. What about military emblems - corps, units, etc.?
  3. Corporate emblems and logos are obviously copyrightable, but I've seen free images on Commons which indirectly include logos - what would be the status of such images?

Thanks, Ynhockey 12:51, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

There is no single answer to your questions. Everything depends on country of origin. Only {{PD-textlogo}} and other simple designs are not copyrightable. --EugeneZelenko 19:27, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Putting my photo on a page

I have uploaded a photo I took, but now I would like to add it to a page about Casper, WY. How do I do this? I do not know html and I have difficulty editing pages. Thanks. Drydofoo 17:25, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

No need for HTML. Just edit the page like you did this one. To add an image type: [[Image:image_name_here.jpg]]. Commons is a little lacking in the help department, but check out this page for any further questions you may have regarding editing. - Rocket000 03:57, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
If you want to use it on another Wikimedia Foundation project, such as Wikipedia, you can use a format like this: [[Image:image_name_here.jpg|thumb|Some text to describe your image on the page.]] . You don't need to specify that the image is on Commons - the system looks for it here anyway. --MichaelMaggs 18:48, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

search images by dimensions or ratios or landscape/portait?

  1. I asked this question earlier, and got a nice reply. How can I search images using either
  • an X or Y pixel dimension (eg: 800 pixels wide)
  • a ratio of y:x, plus or minus a bit (eg 1.2)
  • landscape or portait (eg: portrait only [X] )
  1. Or, if this can't be done, how can I make a suggestion somewhere awsking for it to be implemented? It really would be useful to many people to search by image dimensions. It seems to me it'd be more useful than searching by file-size. Kind regards. 92.233.27.227 21:49, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

What is the license for..

What is the license for screen shots? —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.142.242.233 (talk • contribs) 07:50, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Same as the licence for the depicted content. See Commons:Screenshots. —LX (talk, contribs) 09:49, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Help me out loads. Really it did. What tag am I suppose to click on? I know that its not my own work. So somewhere else. And then after that how do I get free image? I don't see free image anywhere. —the preceding unsigned comment was added by Rem Nightfall (talk • contribs) 06:08, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

What does the screenshot depict? If it's a copyrighted TV show, movie, music video, website, computer game or other software that has not been released under a free licence by its producers, then you may not upload it. —LX (talk, contribs) 12:44, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Its from an anime show in 2003 or so. Earth Girl Arjuna. —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.142.210.56 (talk • contribs) 07:48, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

That would be {{Copyright}} © Bandai Entertainment, so please don't upload it. The reason you can't seem to find an applicable licence is that Commons does not accept non-free images, including screenshots of non-free television series. —LX (talk, contribs) 08:07, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

I saw an image in Wikipedia in the article with one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Girl_Arjuna I was just going to replace the ugly fuzzy screen shot. —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.142.210.56 (talk • contribs) 08:16, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

From en:Image:Arjuna Anime Legends DVD Cover.jpg: "It is believed that the use of low-resolution images of DVD covers ... to illustrate the DVD in question on the English-language Wikipedia ... qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Any other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, might be copyright infringement."
From Commons:Licensing: "The Wikimedia Commons accepts only free content... The Wikimedia Commons does not accept fair use justifications". —LX (talk, contribs) 13:16, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Well that's totally lame. The next screen shots are from the animated show Getbackers. Are those specialty copyrighted as well? —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.142.240.203 (talk • contribs) 05:09, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Why wouldn't they be? —LX (talk, contribs) 10:26, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

I wanted to upload some Getbackers images. Will I not be able to do that? —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.142.240.203 (talk • contribs) 04:27, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Again: no. Please read Commns:Screenshots, Commons:Derivative works and Commons:Licensing. —LX (talk, contribs) 06:52, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

PNG preview of an SVG

It seems that Wikimedia actually shows a PNG screenshot of an SVG file since right clicking the image gives a PNG even when the file is SVG. The problem I'm having is that most of the times the patterns in the SVG are not shown in the PNG as happens with . What can I do? Please help! ~RayLast «Talk!» 16:06, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like it might be bugzilla:8552. If so, you can vote for it, bribe the developers, or get to work on the code yourself, in increasing order of effort and effectiveness. For what it's worth, Mediawiki renders the image the same way Iceweasel does. It's only in Inkscape that I notice a difference. —LX (talk, contribs) 16:45, 4 March 2008 (UTC)
Yep, the SVG and PNG thumbnail look exactly the same in Firefox 2 also. - Rocket000 18:10, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Scanned images from books

Can i upload scanned images from books. The copyright of the book is still alive with publishers.ThanksAjjay 13:41, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Not unless you get the publishers to approve a free license. See Commons:Email templates and Commons:OTRS. —LX (talk, contribs) 13:57, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
If the images are PD you can --Historiograf 17:44, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
Also keep in mind the illustrations can have different copyright to the book authors. pfctdayelise (说什么?) 05:28, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Image conflict

When images have the same filenames, the wrong image can appear on a Wikipedia page. Can't someone change this filename: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Dad.jpg so the image can be used on Wikipedia's Fred Waring page? Pepso 18:22, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Usually, it's the other way around (i.e. changing the local file's name) since all projects may used the file that's here. However, this specific one has two image conflicts and no usage, so feel free to reupload it under a different name. - Rocket000 18:21, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

New Page Patrol

How do you mark new pages as being patrolled on Wiki-Commons. Over on Wikipedia I knew what do but I'm not sure how to do it on wiki-commons and I haven't found the policy page for new pages being uploaded so I know what's allowed and what isn't. Terra What do you want? 20:13, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

AFAIK, only administrators have this ability. There is no policy/guideline regarding new page patrol, as this is not Wikipedia. 哦，是吗？(O-person) 23:10, 09 March 2008 (GMT)
Yes, only admins do that here and we don't really patrol uploads anyway. Special:Newimages or this tool are better suited for monitoring uploads. - Rocket000 18:30, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
However - there are some of us who have been "patrolling" new pages for quite a long time now & help is always welcome. Images are a separate issue but standard (mainspace) pages are pretty straightforward. Generally anything without a gallery on is "out of scope" (and can be tagged for speedy). I guess they should be a few hours old generally in case someone is working on them. There should be some information on the gallery first (usually a link to en wp article when possible) & it should be in at least one category. You'll pick up quite a bit of test/vandalism too. Do help, it would be great & feel free to ask for more info - cheers --Herby talk thyme 14:52, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

Photo from the United Nations

I contacted the UN today to ask permission to use a picture from their website. They replied with a high-res pic and are perfectly happy for me to use the pic, as long as I don't use it for commercial purposes.

What licencing procedure do I need to go through when publishing the picture? Annatto 18:02, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Commons requires permission for commercial use as well, see COM:Licensing. --rimshottalk 19:41, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
{{PD-UN}} may apply, or if the image is old enough, as PD in the US since the UN is in the US. -Nard 21:43, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this book cover in the PD?

I need some advise please. Last year I uploaded this book cover into the English Wikipedia under a fair-use license here. The book was published in 1911 and is already in the PD at Project Gutenberg. Does that mean that the book cover is also in the PD? Can I upload it here on Commons and under what license? What about {{PD-Gutenberg}}, or {{PD-old}}, or even {{PD-ineligible}}? --Bruce1eetalk 14:04, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

The book cover is, but the photograph is not. The book has been photographed as a 3D object. Lupo 16:29, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
If you crop the picture, so it shows only the front cover (= a 2D object)--couldn't you argue that this part would just be a 2D rendering of a PD objec, i.e. not be protected by any copyright? wonders Ibn Battuta 03:37, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
Lupo, if I were to do as Ibn Battuta suggests, would that be acceptable to upload here? And what license would I use? {{PD-old}}, {{PD-Gutenberg}}? --Bruce1eetalk 06:23, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Excuse me; are we sure about this? The book cover is definitely public domain in the United States as a pre-1923 publication, but in the United Kingdom copyright lasts for the author's lifetime plus 70 years. en:H. G. Wells died in 1946. So unless someone is arguing that some other principle applies to the copyright on a cover of one of his books, we'll have to wait another eight and a half years before uploading this. Commons policy is to disallow fair use uploads and observe the copyright laws of all countries that can claim jurisdiction to a work. This was published in London, so there would be a problem. Please correct me if some different principle than Mr. Wells's lifespan applies to the cover of one of his books. Durova 09:53, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Durova, good call! You're right, except I don't think we're talking about the author's death here. His contribution to the picture is just the title etc., and I'm pretty sure you could take a picture of the title page of any book without infringing the author's rights. (Someone, correct me if I'm wrong.) I'd assume it's the person who designed the cover who should hold the rights--or to what extent does the publisher get them? In the latter case, the death of the designer might not be of importance. Well, this is just loud thinking, so I hope that someone more knowledgeable about the copyright topic takes over from here. Thanks, Ibn Battuta 12:02, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
The title at least wouldn't be copyrightable under U.S. law: I could write a book about flatulence, call it Gone with the Wind, and be perfectly safe. Not certain if U.K. law works the same way. Durova 20:15, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

As there appears to be no consensus here, I guess I'll just leave it in Wikipedia as a fair-use image. --Bruce1eetalk 05:13, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Multilingual image description

Hello! I'd like to point out an issue regarding the image descriptions. Is there any possibility to make the Template:Description appear in custom languages? Example given, if I'm viewing this image at the German Wikipedia, can we make the template appear in German? Yours — Jonathan Groß 21:17, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Please answer. Jonathan Groß 20:28, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

I opened a bug request for one way we may make that work. Because the local wikis always have description page as it was rendered on Commons (they don't render it themselves), and by default things on Commons will render with English. So it is a bit difficult. pfctdayelise (说什么?) 02:26, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Deleting user page

Dear sir/madam - I am trying to delete my user page and account, but the template Template:Db-userreq does not work. Could you help me to do this? I plan on creating a different account at a later time, but for personal reasons I would like this one to be terminated. Thank you for your time and help.PrometheusA1 03:32, 11 March 2008 (UTC) PrometheusA1

You could use {{speedy|Explanations here}}. --EugeneZelenko 14:46, 11 March 2008 (UTC)
Your user page can be deleted. But account deletion itself is not carried out on Wikimedia projects such as the Commons here and Wikipedia. One reason for this is the need for all contributions to be assigned to some identifier. Second is that by submitting each edit page form, you have agreed to licence your contributions under the irrevocable license GFDL, which requires an attribution to each edit. On the other hand, by deleting your user pages, you have taken the first step in your right to vanish. Zzyzx11 07:24, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Permission mail

I did sent a permissionmail to permissions@commonswikimedia.org. How do I get back a referencenumber to use it at the photo's? (to clearify the license). 80.126.94.132 21:58, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Can you say which image it refers to? then an OTRS volunteer can search the records and find out what's going on. It is probably just slow to get a reply. --pfctdayelise (说什么?) 09:15, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
Yes, sure. Here is an example: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Gregory_Sedoc.jpg 80.126.94.132 18:21, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
Hell, I'm sorry but I searched and couldn't find any ticket relating to this image. I do note that permissions@commonswikimedia.org is not actually a valid OTRS email address, as far as I know. A correct address is permissions-commons@wikimedia.org. So, would you be able to double check what address you sent it to? thanks, pfctdayelise (说什么?) 13:02, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

GOOGLE EARTH

Can I put the picture from google earth? --Tvrtko26 08:47, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

No. These pictures are copyrighted by Google and/or the company that took the pictures. --rimshottalk 09:00, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
Check out NASA WorldWind instead. pfctdayelise (说什么?) 09:03, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Cant search for my pictures

When i type in my user name under search nothing comes up when i have indeed uploaded about 7 of my pictures. Why is this so? I have put my username in all of the photos under author, licence so how come i cant see the pictures when i search my username. Its not that i cant find my pictures, its just that if you want to look for my pictures using my username you cant. Anyone help me out? You can try it yourself with my username. Roadrunnerz45 01:15, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Dont worry, it works now. Just needs time i guess because i just uploaded it.Roadrunnerz45 04:46, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

License: US Coast Guard

Are all pictures by the US Coast Guard in the public domain? I've seen a picture from 1957 in a book (not by the Coast Guard), and the picture was attributed to the Coast Guard. (That's quite likely, too, because it was taken from a Coast Guard vessel.) Can I just scan it, or are there more things to consider? Thanks, Ibn Battuta 20:29, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, licensing and citing the book (though not legally necessary if the image is PD) is self-understood. I just want to make sure I've not overlooked some legal detail about the Coast Guard PD issue. --Ibn Battuta 04:42, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

Canadian Crown Releases, OK for use on Commons?

Hi, I'm having a difficult time assessing if works belonging to the Canadian Federal Government are ok to upload here on Commons. Here is the appropriate legal disclaimer: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/notices_e.asp. Since we would fall under the "Non-commercial reproduction" category, I'm assuming we're good? Please help me out. Koalorka 21:45, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Non commercial images are not acceptable on Commons, see Commons:Licensing. -- Bryan (talk to me) 22:06, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Search on author

I did receive permission from a photographer to use his photo's that are on a website. What is the easiest way for the websiteowner to see what photo's on commons did come from him? Do I have to add an category or so, or is there an special search option (search on author)? Rudolphous 21:32, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

If you know the author's username, you can visit their userpage by typing "User:USERNAME" into the search box. Once you find their userpage, there is a link in a tab at the top that says "gallery". There, you can find an overview of all their uploads. There is no special way to search on author I'm afraid. --pfctdayelise (说什么?) 09:09, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
I think I interpret the question differently. It sounds like what Rudolphous is talking about is a way to find works on Commons by authors who are not Commons users themselves. For that, one would have to use a category or manually created gallery page. —LX (talk, contribs) 11:10, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
I think a gallery page titled with the photographer's name would be the most convenient. Powers 14:28, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

New user, requesting image replacements..

Hi, I made some high resolution scans of the US $2 bill (versus the low-resolution currently here), but I can't directly replace it due to my account being new. Could someone do that?
Image:US $2 obverse.jpg -> Image:US $2 obverse-high.jpg
Image:US $2 reverse.jpg -> Image:US $2 reverse-high.jpg
--MikeSwanson 10:35, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

  • Hi. I'm not sure your versions are necessarily better. No reason we can't have both. It is very easy to change which one your local wiki links to. Maybe you should consider this instead. -Nard 12:28, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
    • Well, my idea was just noticing how Wikipedia sometimes had high-quality scans (most bills actually), while some were low resolution; I was just trying to get one bill down to be consistent. Thanks anyhow. --MikeSwanson 16:32, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
      • All you got to do is go WP and change the images. We don't chose what they use here. I would pick yours (though the color looks a little off), but like N said, both are fine. Choice is always good. - Rocket000 14:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC) Nevermind about the color, I forgot $2 bills are like that. Thanks for uploading. - Rocket000 15:01, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
        • I understand the reasoning now, thank you. Images on Wikipedia are quite common to be simply replaced with what a user perceives as a better version, I wasn't used to how Wikimedia Commons handles things. --MikeSwanson 18:41, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
I know, it's an unfortunate process. It makes sense when images are clear improvements of an identical image (see two topics further down for such a case, in my opinion), but I've also seen a case where three completely different pictures of the same building were save one "on top of" the other. I noticed only accidentally and then uploaded them all to Commons because some of the older views were actually pretty interesting. --Ibn Battuta 19:04, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Convert Wikinews article Hillview Manor Saga to Wikipedia

How does one convert the Hillview Manor Saga article with its sources from Wikinews to Wikipedia?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by George Howley (talk • contribs) at 20:27, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

You've asked the wrong project, buddy. 哦，是吗？(О кириллицей) 01:38, 18 March 2008 (GMT)

Photos of Boat

Hello, I have a photograph of a ferry boat, taken by me in the USA. I want to confirm that it's OK for me to upload it as a free image. (I've already looked at the derivative works and freedom of panorama pages, and I suspect it's OK as long as it's taken from a publicly-accessible area; is this true?) Second question: How about my photographs of the interior of the ferry boat? (I suspect these are OK since people pay for transportation rather than to see the interior of the boat. But I want to confirm this too.) See also discussion in Wikipedia Thank you, Riick 01:43, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I believe you're okay with photos of the exterior, and of the interior as long as you had permission to be there. Any sculptures or paintings (or photos) inside the boat would be copyrighted, but the design and architecture of the boat would be more akin to a building than to a piece of artwork. Powers 14:18, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I just want to report an inappropriate image

I really don't think that should be allowed when teachers assign kids to look stuff up here. Anything that illustrate would be better served with a line drawing.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Peyronies.jpg—the preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.241.123.187 (talk • contribs)

We don't censor here. It's the adult's responsibility to monitor Internet use and block things they find inappropriate, not ours. --Boricuæddie 00:58, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
"Anything that illustrate would be better served with a line drawing." That's up to Wikipedia or whoever else uses our content. We're not illustrating anything. - Rocket000 18:13, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
Quite apart from the fact that it's quite a matter of opinion if children have to be raised without knowing what a penis looks like... --Ibn Battuta 04:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I have the official quite nice photo of the Queen presenting Pearl Witherington w/her medal. Barry Wetherington

I have an/the official very nice image/ photo of the Queen presenting Pearl Witherington w/her medal. I can email attach the image to you. Here is the text:

Queen Elizabeth II presents the CBE to Pearl Cornioley [née Witherington] at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, during an official state visit to France, Monday April 5, 2004 to celebrate 100 years of the Entente Cordiale The spirit of Entente Cordiale was never more evident, however, than when she later presented a CBE to 89-year-old Pearl Cornioley, known as Pauline, a British woman educated in France who went on to be among the best saboteurs working with the French Resistance. "You've waited a long time for this," the Queen told the elderly woman, who was parachuted into France in 1943 and was so adept at blowing up railway lines prior to D-Day that a million-franc bounty was put on her head. The WAAF Agents — Pearl Witherington, CBE Honour CBE, Légion d'honneur, Croix de Guerre Codename(s): Marie / Pauline http://www.64-baker-street.org/agents/agent_waaf_pearl_witherington_honour_2004.html

Barry Wetherington cbarrfly@gmail.com cbarrfly@comcast.net 248-563-2577 (I'm having troublr determining how to send this email - w/o or with the foto. bw) —the preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.41.207.199 (talk • contribs) 20:07, 18. Mär. 2008

Commons only hosts works in the public domain or published under a free licence. See Commons:Licensing. —LX (talk, contribs) 15:40, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Removing my works off Commons

Greetings,

Sadly, I have decided to remove my works off Commons, as explained at my user page. For a start, I would like to move Image:Church of the Holy Sepulchre.jpg to the Hebrew Wikipedia and remove it off Commons. It can still be used at any Wikimedia project else than Commons. Since I cannot define such a condition with the Creative Commons license, I would have to give up this license. What is the clean way to do this? What is the least restrictive license that still reserves my right to remove my works off Commons? Thanks, Lior 05:42, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

All other Wikimedia projects only allow free content, so your work would have to remain free if you want other projects like the Hebrew Wikipedia to be able to still use it... and that means it's allowed here. And you know you, the licenses are irrevocable anyway. - Rocket000 06:13, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
You are wrong on both points. Anyone else? Lior 06:37, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
Rocket000 is right; once you grant an license for an image you created, you are not allowed to revoke it. The upload form specifically states "When you upload your work to commons you are donating it to the world by using a free content license which allow everyone to use, modify, and redistribute your work for any purpose. This donation is non-revocable." User:Zscout370 (Return fire) 07:04, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
Hello, I confirm that Rocket000 and Zscout370 are right. Regards, Yann 07:23, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
Agree with Rocket/Zscout. giggy (:O) 07:23, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
Thank you for the clarifications. Non-free content is also usable under specific terms (example). I will not contribute any more works to Commons, until these circumstances change. Regards, Lior 07:30, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
You might want to avoid the Hebrew Wikipedia too. I'm pretty sure free alternatives to your images exist, so I won't count on any project allowing your work under the "fair use" clause. If you ever make something like a major movie poster like the one you pointed out, then maybe. (You still wouldn't have any say over what project uses it because fair use doesn't need permission). - Rocket000 08:03, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
BTW, I thought I should point out that your images on Flickr are still licensed under Commons-acceptable licenses. You may want to change those so others can't upload them here. - Rocket000 08:10, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
You are wrong again. I have no problem with balanced articles about racist persons, or with my released works being used in any Wikimedia project else than Commons. If you think you can properly upload to Commons all the works I release elsewhere, I can only wish you good luck. Lior 08:38, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
Wow. - Rocket000 08:42, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
I wish some people would be more careful understanding licenses, the meaning of "free content" and their consequences before uploading. Yes, every murderer, torturer, other human rights violator etc. may use Commons media, may even make money out of it etc. (BTW, he may also read Wikipedia articles in his spare time or even professionally... but somehow people don't seem to care about anything nearly as much as their images.) If you don't think you can stand that, sadly, you should simply leave. Unless, of course, this discussion is all about telling us how horrible your personal ennemy is. Then you should stay and keep discussing. I wonder, though, if you'll really find a very interested audience here. ;o) ... Best (!), Ibn Battuta 20:59, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
Since your important comments are related to policy matters and to technical issues, I will not address them here. In fact, it might have been wiser of me to avoid relating earlier to the advice - "You might want to avoid the Hebrew Wikipedia too", but that's too late. May I conclude the personal side of this thread by assuring you that I have many Carioca friends and no Carioca enemies. Best, Lior 04:47, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Similar image versions

Do we really need two very similar versions? This image is a hint less detailed as this - I doubt that those who use it in the English Wikipedia mean to exploit that difference as they're not even used in the same article(s). --Ibn Battuta 19:01, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

One's bigger than the other, though and I don't know the reason the uploader uploaded a different one here (a bot grabbed the other from en.wp). - Rocket000 05:22, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Pictures from wikipedia

I wanted to add a picture to Simple English Wikipedia that was already on English wikipedia, but I thought that to do this I had to save it and upload it to commons. I did so, and have now been told that it is a copyright violation even though it is currently on English wikipedia and nobody has made a fuss! I would like to delete the pictures but can't. Can someone help?! Mouseinthehouse 20:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Hi Mouseinthehouse, welcome to commons. The problem here is that Commons only accepts free use images, while Wikipedia sometimes accepts otherwise copyrighted images; these images are under fair use, and thus cannot be uploaded here. However, you might be interested in Category:Miley Cyrus. —the preceding unsigned comment was added by Patstuart (talk • contribs) 20:26, 19 March 2008 UTC

Image:Doncarlos.jpg

You will see from the history what has happened here. Some idiot has used the same name to upload an image of a completely different guy. Can the original be recovered? Johnbod 04:29, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Done. Don't call your fellow contributors idiots though. There's no need for incivility. —LX (talk, contribs) 10:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Commons:Deletion requests/Image:Triforce.png

A couple of months ago I commented in this discussion. I don't really know how Commons works (I linked to it from English Wikipedia) but I was wondering if the discussion was still meant to be open (started in December). Again I don't really know how things work here so sorry if I'm wasting your time. Regards, Guest9999 11:05, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The deletion request was never properly added to the deletion requests page, I guess that's why there hasn't been very much discussion until now. I'll add it to the current deletion discussions. --rimshottalk 14:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)
thank you!

Photographs of products

Are pictures of products (with logo etc) ok here? Examples of such images that exists here:

/Fifo 08:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Cosplayers

What's the policy for photos of cosplayers portraying copyrighted characters? Aren't those derivative? BrokenSphere 15:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Will be good idea to discuss this on Commons talk:Licensing. --EugeneZelenko 15:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I would like to chnge my username

I would like to change my username on Wikimedia Commons, but I don't know how to do that. Please, help. I don't speak English very well, so please, be patient. D@wid 17:55, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Please see this page. SwirlBoy39 18:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Picture Help

What if you find a picture from a website what copyright stuff should I use? SwirlBoy39 17:53, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Most pictures on most websites are "all rights reserved", this means that you cannot upload it to commons. If there is a different license, the website will usually say which one it is, see COM:L for suitabe licenses. Do you have a specific picture in mind? --rimshottalk 13:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Maximum video file size for upload?

I am trying to upload a 42 MB OGG-Theora file with green heron feeding on small fish. The file is so big because I edited several episodes together. I am getting disconnected from the file server immediately after I click upload button. I tried both in IE and Firefox with the same result, so I suspect it is the file size. Please let me know if there are size restrictions.

Unfortunately 20 MB is the maximum size for files. We tried convincing the developers that a higher limit was needed, but without success. -- Bryan (talk to me) 12:52, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Help, I am being attacked

Hello. Not a registered user, trying to remove a copyvio page from commons, but all I get is reverts. Being accused of being a sockpuppet of a banned user, which seems more like an excuse to cover up a misdeed of the copyvio.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Az_girl_karabakh.jpg

This is a violation and they try to keep putting in a dubious copy tag(that it was published before 1954 - no only created) and the caption they keep restoring to is not the original one, they are removing original caption, hence vandalizing. Please help ...70.21.139.214 18:04, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

  • also see how many violations from this user have already been deleted:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Parishan 70.21.139.214 18:08, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I am trying to determine the copyright status of the film 'The way ahead' filmed and released in the UK in 1944. A slightly shorter version was released under the title 'The immortal Battalion' in the USA in June 1945. The best I have been able to determine is that the matter is complicated. It seems probable that the USA copyright would have expired and also the UK copyright by 1996, which seems an important date. However the Uk copyright might have been restored by recent European film copyright extensions, or then again it might not. Does anyone know about such things, or know where I might look? Sandpiper 20:29, 13 March 2008 (UTC) (if it helps a random web page about the fim is here Sandpiper

Hmm, but did he ever have a copyright to expire? It seems he would have one if he made the film now, but did he when it was originally made, or was he granted such rights retrospectively? It is not a question of convincing anyone, but of finding out the correct situation. I have seen claims that such films are ex copyright. Sandpiper 21:37, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Problem with Licences

I allmost get the idea of licences, but I still have a question: if I edit this image:

File:Desperate Housewives Season 2 Finale.jpg

Which have CC licence and it's allready upload to commons, me I upload the edited image? and What licence do I have to use?


--Topiña 22:00, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this really a free image? It seems pretty obvious to me that this image just displays the advertisement, which is copyrighted. --Ibn Battuta 22:12, 23 March 2008 (UTC) PS: I've downsized the image, so that this page doesn't take so long to load.
Deleted. See Commons:Derivative works. --EugeneZelenko 14:54, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Image:Angela Beesley.jpg

The lisence given for this image says it can be used for "any purpose, provided that it is used only for press purposes." - is this an appropriate lisence for use on the English Wikipedia (or indeed to be stored here). sorry if this is the wrong place to bring this up, I'm not a regular Commons user. Guest9999 02:23, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, because the file is also licensed under the GFDL. The press-only license is for a specific, but the free license is there as well - so the file is free.--Nilfanion 02:40, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for the quick response. Guest9999 02:58, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

can you please help me?

hello.. i am trying to get info on my father who i believe was in the battle of saipan during world war 2...i would really like to get his military records as to how he got there, what happened to him there, etc...he never talked about anything that happened there, other than the fact that it was sooooo very hot in saipan, but i always knew i should never bring up anymore questions because the look on his face said to me "don't ask". when he passed away a few years ago, his sister had information to give me, which i really wished i knew while he was living...can you please direct me to the right dept. i could ask? thank you so much

Hello! This is the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of images and media files that are free of restrictions on their use. If you wish to locate military records, I would ask the officer of your local legislative representative (such as your U.S. House of Representatives member if you live in the United States) for assistance. They have experience with such things. We don't. Powers 12:54, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Freedom of Panorama in China

Per Commons:Freedom of panorama#China, People's Republic of could the logo at the top of the building in Image:National museum of China 2008 countdown clock.jpg be directly reproduced and released as a free image? Guest9999 20:51, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The paragraph is a bit short, but if this law is anything like the corresponding laws of other countries, then (1) the image as it is now is okay, (2) a crop showing only the logo is okay, (3) a derivative work reproducing the logo alone (something like this is not okay. The name of the logo's author must be mentioned, too. --rimshottalk 12:28, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Permission Error

I just registered and am logged in. I am attempting to upload an image (public domain cartoon I created). WHen I click on "it is my own work" or try to go to upload form--I see a page that only says:

Permission error -- The action you have requested is limited to users in one of the groups Autoconfirmed users, Sysops.

What gives? How do I fix this? Ben Seattle 01:05, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

I get the same error! Every choice. I think tie site is broken??? Ariconte 01:57, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
Same thing here. Timo Metzemakers 08:18, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
Sorry guys, it's a bug. Let us work on it ASAP... --pfctdayelise (说什么?) 12:21, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
Are you able to upload directly from special:upload? pfctdayelise (说什么?) 12:22, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
See COM:AN#Autoconfirmed uploads... looks like it was switched on by error for us, too, despite Brion saying it wasn't. Lupo 12:24, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
From talking to Tim, it seems he fixed it about ten minutes after this last comment was left. If this is still a problem it should be reported again. pfctdayelise (说什么?) 12:32, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

"updated since my last visit"

Hi there,

i am checking on the history of Image:Sluggo_03.jpg; there are three entries, all mine, yet, the top one has the mention "updated since my last visit" (highlighted in green). What's that mean? It looks to me like it would say that it's been updated (by someone else) since i last logged in, but the history shows that i was the last one to mess with it.
Thanks in advance? --Jerome Charles Potts 14:01, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

You've encountered bugzilla:10172. —LX (talk, contribs) 14:18, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

how do I properly attribute this photo?

Hello, I would like to use an image (see link below) on the cover of a book. I have never used this site before, and I have spent a lot of time reading about the various licenses and attribution methods. However, I still don't know a) if I am allowed to use the image on the cover of a book that I intend to sell, and b) if I am, how to properly attribute it. There is no author listed with the photo, so I don't even know who to provide credit to. Can anyone help?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Necktie_Diagonal_knot.jpg

See Commons:Reusing content outside Wikimedia. I think you should attribute user Pumbaa80 of Wikimedia Commons and also mention image license. --EugeneZelenko 15:42, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

technical user rights question

Hi there!

I am running a private installation of MediaWiki 1.11, and I recently had to restrict editing because of spam problems. Based on some advice I got here, I modified my LocalSettings.php file to include the following: 

# No anonymous editing allowed -
$wgGroupPermissions['*']['edit'] = false;

# Anonymous users can't create pages; non-me users as well.  Creators
# will need to be sysops or bureaucrats.
# $wgGroupPermissions['*']['createpage'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['createpage'] = false;

# due to spam problems, only users in Sysop or Editor groups are
# allowed to edit
# thanks to Tuvok on the mediawiki helpdesk
$wgGroupPermissions['*']['edit'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['edit'] = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['edit'] = true;

/* Group of users who are approved to edit */
$wgGroupPermissions['editor']['edit'] = true;

Now I find that I can't edit things any more. I have two accounts, both of which are in both the bureaucrat and sysop groups; when I have them look at any page in my wiki, it says "View Source" where it usually says "edit".

I think the problem is that neither of my accounts is in the 'editor' group, but I don't know how to put them in there, as I don't know anything about MySQL or php -- I can execute commands and such, but am somewhat afraid of cocking the whole thing up with the wrong command. I've found some resources online (http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Setting_user_rights_in_MediaWiki) but I'm not sure how to modify the commands properly.

Help, anyone? Thanks!

Anamacha 19:52, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

This is the help desk for the Wikimedia Commons media repository. For help on the Mediawiki software, see http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Help. —LX (talk, contribs) 21:24, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
thanks for pointikng mein the right direction! Anamacha 22:53, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Commons discussion on deletion of image

[[Category:]]Commons discussion on deletion of image [[:Image:]]Map Gallia Tribes Towns.png I am a newbie per say that I came across an image that had a large pink Deletion note on it and I wanted a say about it so I clicked on discussion on the above image. Wanted to post a comment and after I posted I realized I posted above the title of the Image. Iwould like that deleted so the page looks as it should and then I hadn't realized that I need to have an account to post comments or my IP address would be shown. I do not have an account and would like to so Is there a way to remove both my comments and retype after joining? 75.73.253.13 20:29, 25 March 2008 (UTC) 15:29, 25 March 2008

Just register account and tell that anonymous comment was your. --EugeneZelenko 15:44, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Crofthead Mills, Neilston.png

I can't seem to get this image to display as a thumbnail. It shows as a plain, unformatted image, but not when the "|thumb|right" tier of formatting is used. I'm guessing this must be a technical formatting problem within the image, but I don't know what it could be, can anybody help? Jhamez84 13:52, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm getting the same problem. I guess that thumbnail creation is lagging behind a bit. It will probably work soon, just wait a bit longer. --rimshottalk 13:58, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

I have been asked to amend an article and upload images for an older gentleman who's not able to work his computer. He has been given permission by the photographer in one instance, and in the other has asked me to upload the cover of an album he recorded. I upload, but they keep getting taken down...

How do I upload these images?

Thanks

If you would have logged in before writing that somebody could have taken a look at the deletions. But anyway, take a look at COM:OTRS. The copyright owners permission has to be logged. -- Cecil 13:59, 27 March 2008 (UTC)


i've now logged in and sent a pro-forma email to the copyright holders to confirm, but I can't see how I add the OTRS pending tag to images... Thanks --Rita Gorman 13:12, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Own work or something else?

I have a photograph that I took of a Fire brick found at a public park (the ruins of an iron works). The brick is stamped with the manufacturer's name, and said manufacturer is pretty surely long out of business (I just can't find absolute confirmation- last information I can find about them is from over 70 years ago). Can I upload this as my own work? Mendaliv 21:56, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

If manufacturer stamp is just plan font (not copyrightable), it's OK to upload such images. --EugeneZelenko 15:00, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Username

How can get my username changed to User:Kelly? The software says that it is in use, but I cannot see any contributions or uploads for that username. Kelly1 00:01, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

That user has one file uploaded that was deleted 12 days after. I might want to post a request on this page (ask for usurpation) and wait to see if your request is fulfilled or not. Lijealso 02:52, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Requesting help for new user

I'm a new user, and I've got some photogrpahs here of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong with I took personally, and I don't know which licence I should use. Any help? --Leolisa1997 05:21, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

See Commons:Licensing for details. Please be sure that advertisement on building is not main subject of image (see Commons:Derivative works. --EugeneZelenko 15:02, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Hello. I've come across a picture on the it.wiki that I'd like to use on the en.wiki, but I'm not sure of the copyright status in the US. The image in question is in the public domain under Italian copyright law, but how does that match up with US copyright law? Are the two compliant? Thanks for any answers. Parsecboy 15:02, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Without any source information, in particular who made the picture and when, you will not be able to publish it on Commons. See also the lengthy debate at Commons:Deletion requests/Template:PD-Italy. --rimshottalk 15:33, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
Thanks, the decision section of the discussion you linked answered my question perfectly. I didn't intend on uploading the image to Commons, the image at the it.wiki has a disclaimer there stating that doing so is impossible. I was just curious if I were to upload the image to en.wiki, if it qualified for PD-US as well. I see that it does not. So, thanks again for your help. Parsecboy 16:10, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

namespace, filename change

re: Image:Eleanor Roosevelt with Red Skelton, William Douglas, Lucille Ball, and John Garfield.gif how does one go about changing a filename, or moving a file to another namespace? the file referenced above is currently unused, and is pleading for one that's more rational. --emerson7 | Talk 17:59, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

There's nothing wrong with the filename. In general, if you want to propose a name change, you can use {{rename|new name|reason}}. As for moving to another namespace - there is only one namespace for media files, thus, there is nothing to move. --rimshottalk 18:04, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Categories with names that no ordinary user can understand

After I've been shocked what category:Butterflies (or rather, where it directs) looks like, I've gotten a follow-up shock looking at category:Crabs (or rather, where it directs). I remember dimly having had some similarly strange experiences looking for pictures of cats and horses (at least their superordinate categories).

Is there any consensus on Commons that animals should be categorized by the least understandable name (usually Latin)? It's extremely annoying: You open a category, get a link to some incomprehensible word, and are then supposed to choose which butterfly you are looking for... without understanding a word the lists are saying.

It's great if there are some scientifically minded souls at work preparing Commons to get a reference database for their kin. But I feel we're completely losing touch with the ordinary people this database was originally meant to serve. If at least there was some type of guide (given that we're working with images, such guides are rather easy to set up. Either way, I really cannot support those incomprehensible categories. I don't argue against rare names for rare species. But it's insane we're not even talking about "butterflies" and their most common species anymore... </rant> --Ibn Battuta 19:45, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

For all animal and plant categories, the Latin name is used. The reason is, supposedly, that the Latin name is as international as possible - a Chinese user will understand it just as well as an Australian user. Through the redirects you can still find the images using commons names, and the gallery butterfly gives a good overview of the topic. --rimshottalk 20:05, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
Do I take it that the complaint is specifically about use of Latin species categorization? Latin names for species are standard all over the world. While English is easiest for me, I know it is not the first language for everybody. When I don't know a Latin name for a species I find it very easy to look up in a couple of seconds, and the category redirects such as you point out at "butterflies" takes me there immediately. So, personally I don't find it problematic. Are you arguing for English only on Commons, or do you have other suggestions? -- Infrogmation 20:14, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

How to delete duplicate images

Why is it so goddam hard to delete images that the user put on the website? I would like to delete duplicate that I have in error put on the website!!! Can't I delete an image with out knowing UNIX!!! If now screw you I am not going to contribute.

First of all, no need to get rude. Secondly, please sign your comments with ~~~~. Third, to get your duplicated images deleted is really very simple and has nothing to do with UNIX. Just add {{badname|Image:correct name}} to the image page, the same way you added your comment here. --rimshottalk 22:25, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Image

Hello, I uploaded the image Image:DavidJJJ.jpg, which is a picture taken by me of a wikipedia editor, for display on his and/or my page. I have his permission to use the image, but i dont get licenses on wikipedia! could someone help/instruct me on how to keep this image please. SE7 21:23, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Please forward permission to Commons:OTRS. --EugeneZelenko 14:44, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Upload problem - move possible?

The image Image:Image-Silkie rooster in Aus-closeup.jpg was accidentally named incorrectly by myself with an additional image in the file name. Can a sysop move it, or is the only option to re-upload? Thanks, VanTucky 23:43, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Never mind, I see the template a few threads up will do nicely. Thanks, VanTucky 00:06, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Don't forget you need to re-upload the file at the correct name before the old one can be deleted. Powers 12:21, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Publisher wanting to use images

Hello. I work at a publishing house. I just want to be sure that we can use images from this site in text books that we intend to sell.

Please reply at pkoehler@smp.org

Penny Koehler Saint Mary's Press 702 Terrace Heights Winona, MN 55987

Mostly yes, but please note the details listed on each individual image page-- license and attribution requirements can vary from image to image. -- Infrogmation 22:23, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
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