Wikipedia:Media copyright questions

• About Wikipedia (Welcome)
• Contributing
• FAQ
• Help menu (Directory)

• Asking questions (Help desk
• Reference desk)
• Glossary (Abbreviations)
• Wikicode help (Tools)

Click here to ask your question

(For help, see Wikipedia:Purge)

How to add a copyright tag to an existing image

1. On the description page of the image (the one whose name starts File:), click Edit this page.
2. From the page Wikipedia:Image copyright tags, choose the appropriate tag:
   • For work you created yourself, use one of the ones listed under the heading "For image creators".
   • For a work downloaded from the internet, please understand that the vast majority of images from the internet are not appropriate for use on Wikipedia. Exceptions include images from flickr that have an acceptable license, images that are in the public domain because of their age or because they were created by the United States federal government, or images used under a claim of fair use. If you do not know what you are doing, please post a link to the image here and ask BEFORE uploading it.
   • For an image created by someone else who has licensed their image under the GFDL, an acceptable Creative Commons license, or has released their image into the public domain, this permission must be documented. Please see Requesting copyright permission for more information.
3. Type the name of the tag (e.g.; {{GFDL-self}}), not forgetting {{ before and }} after, in the edit box on the image's description page.
4. Remove any existing tag complaining that the image has no tag (for example, {{untagged}})
5. Hit Save page.
6. If you still have questions, go on to "How to ask a question" below.

How to ask a question

1. To ask a new question hit the "Click here to ask your question" link above.
2. Please sign your question by typing ~~~~ at the end.
3. Check this page for updates, or request to be notified on your talk page.
4. Don't include your email address, for your own privacy. We will respond here and cannot respond by email.

Note for those replying to posted questions

If a question clearly does not belong on this page, reply to it using the template {{mcq-wrong}} and, if possible, leave a note on the poster's talk page. For copyright issues relevant to Commons where questions arising cannot be answered locally, questions may be directed to Commons:Commons:Village pump/Copyright.

WWII Victory Medal image update.

I've found (and cropped the border off of) this image of a WWII Victory Medal for personal use, and was wondering if it would be preferred on the WWII Victory Medal page over the digitally made version currently present on the page. I make no claim to the original image, obviously. Would this be acceptable to upload, along with other similar edits? Thanks.

http://puu.sh/lkPgQ/ba4b96280c.png — Preceding unsigned comment added by Joulskr (talk • contribs) 05:29, 14 November 2015 (UTC)

Unlikely no. You must identify the original source and, if that image is under copyright, you won't be able to qualify for fair use because other free images are available (or could be found). QuiteUnusual (talk) 08:37, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Book cover image file

Can the image from this [[1]] be uploaded and used on article Operation Underworld (novel)? Thank you Morfij.x (talk) 04:25, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, fair use allows an appropriately sized and lower quality image to be used in these cases. See WP:NFCI, #1 applies in this case. QuiteUnusual (talk) 08:35, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Roscoe Rowe

Not really an image question, but I didn't want to start a formal full-blown copyright investigation about a possibly trivial misunderstanding on my side. Bear with me please.

The article's content is copy/pasted from here, most likely in good faith by an unexperienced, now inactive, editor. The website states near the bottom: "This information resource of the Maryland State Archives is presented here for fair use in the public domain." That's clear as mud: is it "fair use" (restricted for certain use cases) or "in the public domain" (do whatever you want with it)? Is such a vague statement sufficient to treat the content as fully released public domain content? Maryland State Archives don't count as "USGov" institution copyright-wise, do they? GermanJoe (talk) 22:35, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

This suggests that they mean it is presented to the public, rather than an actual copyright release. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 23:36, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for the clarification - I have nominated the article for speedy deletion as copy/paste from the source. GermanJoe (talk) 00:12, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I cannot find any copyright information for this photo but would like to use it.

I cannot find the copyright information for Shubha Tole's images on google but would like to use one to help her page be fleshed out. Here is the image i have gone for, sized 212x238.File:shubha.jpg, taken from google images. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dathava (talk • contribs) 19:02, 18 November 2015

Because Shubha Tole is still alive we can only use image that are clearly freely licensed. Most images you will find on the internat are copyright which was the reason the image you uploaded has already been deleted. ww2censor (talk) 22:38, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

If you want good, current, up-to date images Dathava, why not try emailing her directly (E.G., Hi, I edit Wikipedia and you deserve better photos) and asking if she can send Wikimedia Commons a photo(s) with a OTRS. You can bet that Shubha is IT savvy, so if she dose not reply she is not really interested in her professional and public image - so end of story. Should you wish, she can be contacted at टाटा मूलभूत अनुसंधान संस्थान She has a gmail address there but we don't disclose these here. Hope this helps.--Aspro (talk) 01:50, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

Aside: A copyvio also appears (like it says its not licensed appropriately) to be on this Telugu language WP article on Shubha: [2]. --Aspro (talk) 03:17, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

The image source page has a copyright notice but do they allow non-free on the Telugu wiki? ww2censor (talk) 12:43, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

Poem about Saigon

my teacher gave me an assignment she said that the poem that we read the Saigon is gone and a text In our text book the forgotten ship in the text what is the message each author is intending to convey about the fall of Saigon? explain how specific word choice help create a tone that contributes to the text's meaning — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.167.5.53 (talk) 00:42, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

We don't do you home work here. THis question would be more appropriate at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities. We do have articles at Fall of Saigon, Operation Frequent Wind which has a large list of the ships involved, and Operation Babylift which will give you the background history. You will have to read the poem and look at the word choice yourself! Graeme Bartlett (talk) 23:34, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Using pictures and Images

I am writing a book. As well as using some Wikipedia content, I would like to use the pictures included in the article. For example. King James I,II; King George I,II, III; Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Charlotte. Am I allowed to use them as long as I give credit to Wikipedia? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:14C:8201:FF00:B12B:A1F9:A970:7976 (talk) 20:44, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

What you really need is Wikipedia:Reusing Wikipedia content and c:Commons:Reusing content outside Wikimedia. You need to credit images per their licence not us. ww2censor (talk) 22:57, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

What if I modified a file from Wikipedia?ChizzleDonkey (talk) 23:50, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Then you have made a derivative. You would have to comply with the terms of the license. So if it was a CC-BY license you still have to credit the earlier author, and link to the license. And the -SA bit would mean that you have to have the same license on your derivative. So you can do cropping or make a collage, change contrast etc. For public domain images you are free to use them without credit, but claiming your own copyright is a fraud. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 20:13, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

Image missing evidence of permission

The image is for a band that were only active for a short amount of time, and the band and their website and this the evidence of permission haves long since disappeared. What should be folded in this instance? Thanks Mattsephton (talk • contribs) 23:38, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

What image? File:Murry-the-hump.jpg? One can look at an archived copy of the source page [3], where one can see that there was no permission. -- Asclepias (talk) 02:04, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Potential image for Nevado Tres Cruces

So, I was thinking that using the map at the bottom of this page may significantly increase the understandability of the Nevado Tres Cruces article by illustrating the extent and location of various geological features, things that can't be easily explained in text for a volcano that isn't a simple cone. I was wondering if using that map under fair use would be acceptable; I don't think there are freely licensed maps of that type and content.Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk, contributions) 14:54, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

You can't use that image. It fails WP:NFCC#1 because, although no freely licensed maps with that information exist, you can create one. Finnusertop (talk | guestbook | contribs) 15:29, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

I sort of expected that. No image, then, seeing as I don't have the requisite image making skills.Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk, contributions) 15:37, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

You could always request one at WP:GL/M, Jo-Jo Eumerus. Finnusertop (talk | guestbook | contribs) 15:42, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Oh, thanks. I've moved my query over there.Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk, contributions) 09:47, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Michael Richards

I noticed that in the article, Michael Richards, there is this video link being used as reference. The video link is an episode of Jerry Seinfeld's web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, titled "It's Bubbly Time, Jerry". Is this episode under copyright?Hitcher vs. Candyman (talk) 16:12, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

I don't see any indication that it's not under copyright. The link is to the official website. -- Asclepias (talk) 21:37, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

file:simona castricum.png

I asked the artist for an image they have permission to use and she sent me this. Not sure how to make it allowable on Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.58.120.9 (talk) 22:33, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

The photographer, not the artist, is usually the copyright holder and we need their permission under a free licence. The best thing to do is have them verify their permission by following the procedure found at WP:CONSENT. Good luck. ww2censor (talk) 23:11, 23 November 2015 (UTC)