Commons:Village pump/Copyright

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Good morning[edit]

I took several pictures and I do not know how to license them. In general, I am the copyright holder. Is it possible after the administration has decided to license these pictures?

Category:Abdel Naser Abdel Fatah

Paula Fenness (talk) 03:07, 21 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Paula Fenness: Please see the information given on your talk page. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:06, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Currently viewing. Paula Fenness (talk) 11:34, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1934 painting by Georgia O'Keeffe[edit]

File:19 - ofty8zO (50062828047).jpg, transferred from Flickr where it was uploaded with a bogus CC licence, is actually a 1934 painting by American painter Georgia O'Keeffe, titled Purple Hills Ghost Ranch - 2 / Purple Hills No II per [1]. I'm not sure, is this copyrighted in the US, or is it some kind of PD-no-notice/-not-renewed? I couldn't find it with a quick search at [2], but would like to make sure if we can keep the file or need to delete it for a few more years. --Rosenzweig τ 21:29, 21 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Same for File:64 - YZ9s7jg (50062578451).jpg, a 1939 painting by O'Keeffe titled White Bird of Paradise per [3]. --Rosenzweig τ 21:47, 21 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
There is also the issue of publication; Regarding the 1934 painting, its early exhibitions were:
1935 New York (An American Place), nos. 27 or 28, as Red Hill form--Bad Lands, New Mexico
1936 New York (An American Place), no. 7, as Dark Hills, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
1938 Williamsburg ?
1988 Phoenix, no. 22
So if it was not catalogued with a reproduction, it would have to have been exhibited without any steps taken to prevent copying for it to count as publication. Felix QW (talk) 19:04, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The second painting linked was only exhibited once at An American Place in 1940, and then not exhibited again until 2009 (https://collections.okeeffemuseum.org/object/1148/#about-this-object-details).
It seems from the MoMa records of other O'Keeffe paintings as if the "An American Place" exhibitions were not catalogued, and took place in a commercial gallery, so it is conceivable that they were not "published" until after formalities had been abolished.
Indeed, the link posted above from the print shop gives a 2009 copyright date for the White Bird of Paradise and a 1997 copyright date for the 1934 painting, and that does seem plausible to me. In that case, the paintings would be copyrighted until 2056. Felix QW (talk) 19:40, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Displaying an artwork in a commercial gallery usually means that is being offered to the public for purchase, which makes it an act of publication. Toohool (talk) 20:31, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Good point! I always thought that copies would have to have been offered rather than merely the original, but COM:Publication does mention that sale of the original would be sufficient. @Clindberg: Do you have any insight that could help with this situation? I usually refer to your posts whenever there is a complex question of early US publication... Felix QW (talk) 13:51, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

A large number of local flags and coats of arms do not have the correct copyright information.[edit]

For local flags or emblems, the copyright of these images belongs to the regional government. However, there are a large number of flags and coats of arms that are not labeled with correct copyright information, classifying the copyright information of these images as their own works.

Generally, the flags and heraldic images that can be uploaded are:

  • The government gives up its copyright claims or places it in the public domain as a "national symbol".
  • The designer of the flag or coat of arms died 70 years later.
  • A United States flag or coat of arms designed before February 28, 1989.
  • Coat of arms and flags designed after March 1, 1989, in California, Florida, and Massachusetts.
  • Some flags and coats of arms of the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries that have lost their crown copyright.
  • Flags and coats of arms whose designs are too simple to meet the threshold for copyright protection, such as the city flag of Spokane, Washington, may be protected by copyright, whereas the city's complex emblem may be protected by copyright.

In current practice, the following examples of authorizations comply with the regulations:

The following flags and coats of arms cannot be uploaded to commons as they are most likely to be protected by copyright:

However, the following examples show that these flags and coats of arms are not marked with correct copyright information, as listed below:

There is no room for sloppiness in the copyright licensing of flags and coats of arms. I hope the community will pay attention to it. Thank you! Fumikas Sagisavas (talk) 05:56, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Fumikas Sagisavas: What are your thoughts on {{CoA from blazon}}? From Hill To Shore (talk) 06:09, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This is a pretty common misconception. Each drawing of a seal can have its own copyright -- they are independent from the written description. See Commons:Coats of arms. So yes, one drawing can be "own work" by a contributor, a drawing from 100 years ago can be expired, and still other drawings can be under full copyright. The governments in question do not own the copyright of any drawing, unless done by one of their employees. The design is an idea, and each drawing a separate expression of that idea -- see Idea–expression distinction. Copyright protects only the specific expression, not the idea. If one drawing copies particular outlines etc. from another, then it is a derivative work (expression was copied), and the copyright status of the original matters. Any copyright in the written design is a literary work, and is based on the particular words chosen, which is the "expression". (Rewording an idea would also be a separate expression of the same idea.) A drawing pretty much cannot be derivative of a written work. (In most cases, the written design is part of law, and is PD-EdictGov in the U.S. anyways.) So in general, the date of a general design is not material to the copyright of a particular drawing. We avoid copying drawings from other places, as they could well have a copyright. Some countries may deny copyright to such drawings, but unsure that holds everywhere, or for privately-made drawings. For one example, en:File:Coat of arms of Canada.svg is the official vector drawing of Canada's coat of arms. Even though the design dates from 1921, the particular drawing dates from 1994, and the vectorization is even newer (a vectorization can have a copyright on top of the original drawing). That is non-free, as it is protected by Crown Copyright. On the other hand, File:Royal Coat of arms of Canada.svg is on Commons, an independent drawing of the same design made by a contributor here. That one is correctly under a CC license as the copyright of the uploader. Carl Lindberg (talk) 22:59, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Files from Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank[edit]

From 2023-11-23 07:05 to 2023-11-24 17:26, KOKUYO uploaded around 900 files about the Golden Horse Awards hosted on Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank (TCMB) from various photographers (mostly from Central News Agency). It appears at the time of upload, all of them were marked with PDM (eg. this link). However, at some point TCMB decided to change their license to CC-BY-ND-3.0 (eg. the same picture from the current link).

So, is it correct to conclude that their PDM marking at the beginning is voided after the license change, and the files should not be hosted on Commons? As this would be a large-scale deletion if a deletion request had to be opened, I'd like to consult opinions from more sources.廣九直通車 (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@KOKUYO: Notifying uploader.廣九直通車 (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
確實如你所說，他們在我上傳完之後，資料庫就突然更改了照片授權。上次有一張照片有被提刪，我那時候就有說如果不能留的話，那就要把該分類同類型照片全數刪除，但我本來以為上次就已經批量刪除了。如果確定這個授權是可以從開放轉變成不開放，那也就只好批量刪除了。--～～～～
上次就是我提刪的（雖然好像你沒有這樣回答？），當時還不知道背後居然有接近900多張圖片這麽多就是了。目前先咨詢一下我的見解是否正確然後再確定進一步的行動。廣九直通車 (talk) 13:19, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Screenshot taken from video found on the US Library of Congress' official website[edit]

Would en:File:JoyWilliamsLOC2021.jpeg uploaded to English Wikipedia as non-free content be acceptable for Commons under a {{PD-USGov-LOC-created}} license? The screenshot comes from an interview posted on the LOC's official YouTube channel. The YouTube file is released under the standard YouTube license, but the same interview can be found here of the LOC's official website. There's a boilerplate licensing statement on the LOC's page that states

While the Library of Congress created most of the videos in this collection, they include copyrighted materials that the Library has permission from rightsholders to present. Rights assessment is your responsibility. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions.

Any opinions on whether this screenshot is PD? -- Marchjuly (talk) 11:23, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

 Comment Original source is https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9956 Copyright information there is:

While the Library of Congress created most of the videos in this collection, they include copyrighted materials that the Library has permission from rightsholders to present. Rights assessment is your responsibility. The written permission of the copyright owners in materials not in the public domain is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. There may also be content that is protected under the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. Permissions may additionally be required from holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights). Whenever possible, we provide information that we have about copyright owners and related matters in the catalog records, finding aids and other texts that accompany collections. However, the information we have may not be accurate or complete.

Yann (talk) 11:56, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

File:American way of life.jpg[edit]

Hi, This is a great image, but I have some doubt about the copyright claim. If it was renewed, should it be by Margaret Bourke-White or by Life? Thanks, Yann (talk) 17:12, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like Margaret Bourke-White was an employee, so Life would have held the copyright as a work for hire (or Time, Inc.). Their issues were supposed to have been renewed per UPenn. The Feb 15 1937 issue was registered (B329224) and renewed on July 21 1964 (R342567).[4] If it was published separately without notice it may be OK but we'd probably need some evidence. Looks like it was originally uploaded as "own work" but changed to no-notice a few years ago, but no description as to why. Carl Lindberg (talk) 02:02, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I found the issue where it was published: Life, February 15th, 1937, p.9. She doesn't seem to be credited if that matters. So Commons:Deletion requests/File:American way of life.jpg‎. Yann (talk) 11:27, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Chris Sharma Petzl video[edit]

I found a video on Commons of a famous rock climber Chris Sharma by equipment manufacturer Petzl here File:Chris Sharma - BACK in Céüse - Sport climbing and bolting in France.webm. Petzl have done excellent quality climbing vides that they license freely such as on youtube here and here. However this Chris Sharma video is also on Petzl's website here, but it is not clear what the licensing is? It is also on Petzl's youtube feed here but it is not listed as freely licensed? I would love to use stills from this video on various Chris Sharma Wikipedia articles, but there is not point if the original licensing is suspect? Aszx5000 (talk) 21:14, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Early Mickey Mouse intertitles[edit]

Hello there! I have found File:Title - The Mad Doctor.png is in the public domain as it was not renewed. The intertitle/title card is the same used in many early Mickey Mouse cartoons. Since this design is already public domain, could I upload the other ones (only title differs)? I have already done that for the 1929 intertitles which are essentially the same as those of 1928 (category:Mickey Mouse intertitles) Bedivere (talk) 00:36, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think these intertitles are public domain, only changing their title. I will upload them later. The worst that could happen is getting them deleted Bedivere (talk) 21:20, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

File:Generalstabsarzt Dr. med. Ralf Hoffmann als Chef des Stabes Kommando Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr.jpg[edit]

Hello everyone, is the image in question in the public domain and can it really be uploaded here? For me, the paragraph under which the image has supposedly been uploaded (§ 5 Urheberrechtsgesetz) does not refer to images, but only to published legal texts and regulations in Germany. I would be very grateful for an assessment from someone who is familiar with this. --Godihrdt (talk) 10:49, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You're right, this is not an official work and not in the public domain. Thank you for reporting the problem; I've filed a deletion request: Commons:Deletion requests/File:Generalstabsarzt Dr. med. Ralf Hoffmann als Chef des Stabes Kommando Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr.jpg. --Rosenzweig τ 13:50, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Even if I think it's a pity, it still refers to other pictures:
They are also under the same licence that they are considered to be in the public domain because they are publications of the Bundeswehr. Of course, it would be good if you could continue to use them under a different licence instead of deleting them but I don't see any possibility at the moment. Godihrdt (talk) 16:21, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I have now submitted these images for deletion; many are from the sadly deceased user Mehlauge, which hasn't stopped the bot from macabrely informing the user of each and every request... Godihrdt (talk) 16:38, 25 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Emergency Broadcast System[edit]

Hello, I'm looking to upload videos from television in the 20th century about the Emergency Broadcast System, I'm curious what the copyright status is of recordings like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m9cIdlXyao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQrC1V5TMlU

Are these in the public domain (made by US Gov) or are the property of the TV stations?

Thanks! Victorgrigas (talk) 15:31, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Looking just at the first one: probably created by the TV station; probably not up to the U.S. threshold of originality in any respect, so I'd guess they are in the public domain on that basis. I'm not sure we have a tag for sub-TOO videos, can anyone suggest one? - Jmabel ! talk 19:00, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Cofradía Botillo OTRS[edit]

There are some pics in Category:Botillo that do not have a proper OTRS attribution:

Derivative pictures:

-- Carnby (talk) 18:20, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably User:FCPB is someone from Foro Cultural Provincia de El Bierzo. But, yes they should go through VRT (formerly OTRS) and explain how they come to control the copyright on the materials they are licensing. FCPB, do you have any problem doing that? - Jmabel ! talk 19:07, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Por supuesto, User:FCPB es una persona del Foro Cultural Provincia de El Bierzo. Pero, sí debe enviar e-corroe al equipo VRT (ex-OTRS) para explicar como pasaba que el (o ella) controlla los derechos del autor pare las materias para cuales ofrecen una licencia. FCPB, ¿hay algún problema en hacerlo? - Jmabel ! talk 19:07, 26 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Posting PD images from websites with Terms of Use that state "no commercial use"[edit]

I notice the Commons has many PD images attributed to Worthpoint.com (some by me). However, is it permissible to post images found on websites with Terms of Use that forbid commercial use? Worthpoint's Terms of Use state: 'WorthPoint grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, single-member license to access and use the content on the websites, the Price Guide, Marks, and/or any related mobile applications, and the services for personal research purposes only. Under no circumstances shall you use any content (except content submitted by you) for any commercial use. “Commercial Use” means any use that yields a profit or monetizes in any way the use of the content. Online or other republication of content is prohibited.' Clearly, posting on the Commons does not constitute commercial use. But what if someone uses such an image, believing it is free of any restrictions, for commercial purposes? Bixly777 (talk) 04:05, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on whether the source website is recording the licence correctly (many sites apply more restrictive terms than they can enforce). If the files are definitely public domain then we can ignore the copyright restrictions the website tries to impose. If, however, the files are not public domain then it is possible that the website's restriction do apply. Any files that can't meet the requirements of COM:L must be deleted. If you can link to some example images, we can take a look. From Hill To Shore (talk) 04:29, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Templates "PD-US-no notice" and "PD-US-1978-89" for old newspapers[edit]

I wanted to clarify how the templates "PD-US-no notice" (This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1929 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.) and "PD-US-1978-89" (This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1978 and March 1, 1989 without a copyright notice, and its copyright was not subsequently registered with the U.S. Copyright Office within 5 years.) work in regard to copyright notices. They are used for the images [5] and [6], both of which are images published in old newspapers. There is no copyright notice on the page of the images or on any of the other pages in the newspaper. To me, it seems that they should be in public domain but I wanted to confirm since I have not worked with these templates before. This is being discussed at [7]. Phlsph7 (talk) 08:21, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Phlsph7: Replied in the linked discussion. You should probably indicate there that you have canvassed here. - Jmabel ! talk 16:37, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for your help! I left a link there to the discussion here. Phlsph7 (talk) 07:44, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What is the licence ?[edit]

Hello, I work actually on the first Nightwish's albums and I've found this [picture]. I would like to know what is the licence and if it is okay for Wikipédia ? Thank you in advance Vmv2705 (talk) 15:22, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Vmv2705: Artist xuvi lives in Finland, which joined the Berne Convention 1 April 1928 per COM:FINLAND, so their work is copyrighted. The original YouTube poster's account has been terminated. So barring permission via VRT, we can't accept it on Commons but see en:WP:F.   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 16:03, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

[edit]

CAN I? Sdcardp2 (talk) 16:07, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Sdcardp2: absolutely no idea. Can you link to what you are talking about so that someone has a chance to answer your question accurately? - Jmabel ! talk 16:40, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Valid License Template[edit]

I want to upload a portrait from the NPG in London. It if freely available using the license: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported If I try uploading the file, the range of licenses to choose from doesn't include this one. If I try to enter my own description of the license I get an error message saying that "The wikitext you entered doesn't contain a valid license template." Can anyone please tell me what I should enter? Jgdc47B (talk) 10:30, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Jgdc47B: That is a licence we can't accept. Per COM:L images uploaded here must be available for commercial reuse and also allow derivatives. From Hill To Shore (talk) 12:03, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Jgdc47B: What's the URL of the NPG page about the image? The have a habit of applying licences to out-of-copyright artworks, so the image may be PD. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:31, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It's https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp132030/reginald-campbell-thompson Jgdc47B (talk) 09:07, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
As From Hill To Shore says above, we cannot accept the NC-ND license, but if the work is by an author who died before 1954 AND was published before 1929, we can accept it as public domain. Abzeronow (talk) 17:36, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for that very useful info. Unfortunately the work was published in 1934. Jgdc47B (talk) 09:08, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Jgdc47B: See also the justification for this at COM:LJ.   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 23:22, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Image of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad[edit]

I want to upload an image of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad but I am unaware if this is able to be put on Wikimedia Commons per licensing. The link here is the official website of the High Commission and contains images of the high commission building. MrGreen1163 (talk) 23:11, 28 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@MrGreen1163: That page has a copyright notice and no indication of any free-licensing at all. Why do you think these images might be eligible for Commons? - Jmabel ! talk 01:57, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Trying to understand why this image is not copyrighted[edit]

Hi there, I came across a renaming request for this file, and I'm trying to understand why this image would be PD. There's a fair amount of license text, but strikes me as odd that such an image would be released like that. Milliped (talk) 12:11, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Before the U.S. joined the Berne Convention in March 1989, they required a copyright notice to be placed on each distributed copy of a work, otherwise copyright would be lost. While that is a somewhat nervous here given the Smiths are a British band, and Paul Cox is a British photographer, the publicity photo was distributed by Sire Records, a U.S. company. The country of origin is the country of first publication, so unless there was a previous publication of that photo outside the US, it is public domain in the U.S. It is definitely still copyrighted in the UK, and most if not all of Europe. Most of the permission text is not relevant, as it refers to generalities and not specifically why this photo is PD, but the copyright tag does state the only way it could be public domain. You could try to regain copyright by registering the work among other steps, but I don't find a record for this photo (I do see one photo registered by Paul Cox, and a number of registrations by Sire Records Company, but not this one). The file File:The Smiths (1984 Sire publicity photo) 001.jpg, a similar publicity photo, does contain some text which states that a copyright search was done (though does not mention the names searched for); that could be helpful to add here. Carl Lindberg (talk) 12:37, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Milliped Many old Publicity photographs are Public Domain in the USA due to old copyright formalities. Studios / companies didn't tend to put notices on to these photos which were sent out to media organizations to promote a subject. They wanted these photos to go far and wide and were happy to see them re-published in newspapers and such. In this case, Sire Records, an American record label had released these photos of The Smiths to promote one of their albums. Because the photo did not include a copyright notice or registration within 5 years, it fell into the Public Domain in the USA. This was common for music & television publicity photos up until around 1985 when notices really started showing up. You can find some stuff before & after that year which did and didn't include notices. 1985 is just the year where it seems most companies became more aware of Copyright rules. If any evidence can be found it was first published in the UK or was registered, of course then it would change things. Currently there is no evidence of such. I hope this helps to clarify. PascalHD (talk) 23:44, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"first published in the UK" would have to be at least 30 days before U.S. publication, because otherwise they are considered simultaneous. - Jmabel ! talk 01:35, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Beach scene - the foreshore[edit]

File:Beach scene - the foreshore, © Britten Pears Arts.jpg

What do we make of the above? It's an embroidery by a UK citizen who died in 1943. Is it sufficiently flat to be considered "2D"? It also incudes a frame and the file name incudes "©". Do we need permission from the photographer? Or simply to crop out the frame and rename? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:56, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The embroidery would probably be classed as a "work of artistic craftsmanship" (see COM:FOP UK). My view of the frame is that it is rather utilitarian in nature and not subject to its own copyright. The photographer will have a copyright though as they chose the angle at which to shoot the frame and embroidery (which may have produced shadows under different lighting conditions). From Hill To Shore (talk) 14:10, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Pigsonthewing UK-wise, I think this is fine. The frame seems utilitarian. The photograph appears to not be copyrightable under UK law as stated in Sheridan: it is not the "author’s own intellectual creation"; and it is shot head-on (so I don't see any creative choices being made). The UK copyright of the embroidery itself expired in 2014.
US-wise, I think it's problematic. The frame and photo are both fine. But the embroidery itself is likely still copyrighted until 95 years after publication (so 2027, if we assume the work was immediately published). The only situation where it would be in the public domain in the US now is if it was published in the US within 30 days of publication in the UK, and the US publication failed to comply with the required formalities. —‍Mdaniels5757 (talk • contribs) 22:32, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

File:Saugata Roy MP.jpg[edit]

This isn't {{PD-US}}. Is it {{GODL-India}}, or something else, or a copyvio? (I don't know much about GODL-India, hence my coming here...) —‍Mdaniels5757 (talk • contribs) 22:19, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It appears to be {{GODL-India}}, which should also make it PD in the U.S., so OK for Commons. - Jmabel ! talk 22:40, 29 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Should this be a SD|F1 instead?[edit]

I submitted this [8]on April 13th. The mascot was copyrighted by the Atlanta Olympic Committee. See page 130 of the linked Olympic Report. Thanks, -- Ooligan (talk) 01:41, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Ooligan: Which "this"?   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 04:02, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, @Jeff G., the DR is above now. -- Ooligan (talk) 05:13, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Since the issue you've raised is the possibility that the file is a derivative work of non-free content, the appropriate speedy deletion process for an obvious instance of non-free derivative work would be F3, not F1, except F3 specifically says not to use it for photographs taken in a public place. Choosing to use a DR was the right choice. Due to the current backlog of DRs, it might take a few more weeks before your DR is processed. —RP88 (talk) 15:39, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for your detailed explanation @RP88. Best Regards, -- Ooligan (talk) 17:21, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Where can I find the Title of Images (in the Context of Attribution)[edit]

Pre-version-4.0 CC licenses require the use of the image title as part of the attribution line. I therefore have a question:

What is the "title" of images on Wikimedia Commons?

Consider, for example, this image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:61-0324_Boeing_KC-135R_Stratotanker_take_off_March_ARB_020323.jpg

Is the title simply the file name "File:61-0324 Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker take off March ARB 020323.jpg"?

The image was originally sourced from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitmasterbloke/52829907803

Here, the title is explicit: "61-0324 Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker take off March ARB 020323" Michael Weinold (talk) 05:53, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If the file name really is the title - is it legitimate to shorten it? Some images have rather lengthy filenames:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EGUN_-_Boeing_KC-135R_Stratotanker_-_United_States_Air_Force_-_60-0344_D_(30333795298).jpg — Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael Weinold (talk • contribs) 05:54, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

WW2 copyright status[edit]

I was wodering about coyright status of postcards published durig the World War 2. For example: a postcard published in the town of, let's say, Třinec that in the early 1939 was a part of Poland, later that year was unilaterally incorporated into Germany during the war, and since 1945 belonged to the Czechoslovakia (now Czechia). Should I apply current German copyright law (70 years since anonymous publication; {{PD-Germany-§134-KUG}}), Polish, as the annexation was not universally recognised (no clear copyright claim made before 1994: {{PD-Poland}}/{{PD-PRL}}), Czech (50 years since anonymous publication: {{PD-anon-70-CZ}}), Czechoslovak ({{PD-Czechoslovakia-anon}}) or something else? Every possible way indicates that the anonymous postcards will be in the public domaine but I still have to apply one licencing template and I don't know which one. Aʀvєδuι + 07:35, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Why not apply all three? You can add an explanation for reusers about the unusual copyright situation and then show them all three templates to demonstrate it is PD regardless of the European jurisdiction. However, have you considered US copyright? Postcards published in 1945 may have US copyright protection until 1 January 2041. From Hill To Shore (talk) 07:44, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The relevant copyright law is generally the modern jurisdiction of the place of first publication. In this case, it would have been PD in the Czech Republic in 1996 due to the validity of the 50-year term of Czechoslovak law. This makes it PD in the US. It is presently in the public domain in the Czech republic per {{PD-anon-70-CZ}} (or {{PD-anon-70-CZ}} — I am actually not sure why we have a separate Czech template for this). So to me, the correct combination would be {{PD-Czechoslovakia-anon}} and either of the two templates linked above. Felix QW (talk) 09:56, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Summary box with links[edit]

File:LakeMohonkTennis.jpg This image is used in the WP article "Paul Martin (illustrator)." I wrote all of the description's text. Is it correct how the image from Wayback Machine is in the slot "Other versions." Its purpose is as a backup. Also, is it correct how the "Vintage postcard" was inserted in the author line. It shows just how the tennis courts looked when the photo was originally taken. The same footbridge is in both at the far left edge (hard to spot). Thanks. JimPercy (talk) 15:04, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much for uploading this image! I rearranged it a bit to where I would have put that information; feel free to revert if you prefer your previous arrangement. Felix QW (talk) 15:27, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Felix QW: Okay, but I don't spot any changes. The reason that the last part in Author is put in that spot is because of the tie-in to the word "footbridge." For simplicity. I wonder if that URL link in "Other Info" would be more complete in the long version.
Namely, https://web.archive.org/web/20220104054623/https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835959831_9b5a50b086_h.jpg JimPercy (talk) 16:52, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I must have forgotten to submit the changes. I would not have put the additional information in the author field, but it is absolutely no big deal. I'd say, if you think it makes sense there, just leave it where it is. Felix QW (talk) 18:50, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
OK, thanks for looking at it. I will leave it as is (with those changes). Oh, I was just guessing what you might want to change (re: author field extension). JimPercy (talk) 19:43, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Felix QW: Update. I made a couple adjustments. I think, as was suggested. JimPercy (talk) 23:25, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

How can I verify that a Wikimedia Commons image is public domain and freely licensed?[edit]

I wish to use this Wikimedia Commons image File:Battle-of-Ager-Sanguinis.jpg on the cover of my forthcoming book. The publisher requires me to verify that this image is in the public domain and freely licensed. The above web page says that the image was uploaded by Asta at Russian Wikipedia and transferred to Commons by nettadi. However, Asta does not seem to have a public talk page or an e-mail address and nettadi’s talk page has a single message to him from an editor. Any assistance you may be able to offer will be greatly appreciated. Groucho777 (talk) 16:26, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Groucho777: Hi,
This artwork was created in the 12th century, long before copyright came to exist. So it is in the public domain, and creating a copy of a 2D artwork doesn't create a new copyright. So you can use it for your book. Yann (talk) 16:40, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This is a painting from 1337 and therefore definitely public domain. If you would want to have a proof that the file uploaded to commons is the actual one form the book you would have to ask the French National Library. GPSLeo (talk) 16:41, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
No bearing on the copyright question but: if it is claimed both as 1337 & 12th Century, something is wrong and should be fixed. - Jmabel ! talk 17:51, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The 12th century line was added today. @Yann: Did you mean 14th century here or do you have a source placing this in the 1100s? From Hill To Shore (talk) 18:12, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, fixed. I suppose that the date in the French description was wrong. There was a confusion between the date of the event and the date of the artwork. Yann (talk) 18:13, 30 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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