Commons:Help desk/Archive/2014/12

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Copyright help regarding File:Houston Union Station 1925.png

Hi, the page that I uploaded this file from states that "This image is in the public domain and may be used freely. If publishing in print, electronically, or on a website, please cite the item using the citation button." The image is from the University of Houston's Library. I don't know which is the correct license to give to this image, can anyone help me out with this? Many thanks,Monopoly31121993 (talk) 16:07, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

--Monopoly31121993 (talk) 16:07, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

The copyright status of this image depends on the date of its first publication, which I do not know. Ruslik (talk) 03:26, 30 November 2014 (UTC)
Ruslik, it's first publication was 1925. I know that 1925 is after 1921 so it is not automatically in the public domain but since the author states "This image is in the public domain" I'm wondering what I should do.Monopoly31121993 (talk) 10:12, 30 November 2014 (UTC)
Sorry, but the author states nothing because it is unknown. I also do not understand how do you know that it was published in 1925? If you know, please, tell me where it was published. Ruslik (talk) 09:42, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding File:SVG-Logo.gif

Es handelt sich um das offizielle Logo der seit 1948 am Markt ooperierenden Genossenschaft Straßenverkehrsgenossenschaft (SVG) (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stra%C3%9Fenverkehrsgenossenschaft). Darf man auf der Webseite, die das Unternehmen (neutral) beschreibt nicht das offizielle Logo erwähnen und anfügen?

--Alberich21 (talk) 15:39, 24 November 2014 (UTC)

Die Seite selbst beansprucht ein Urheberrecht, für File:SVG-Logo.gif hilft vielleicht eine {{Trademark}} Warnung. Dein Nutzungsfall wäre nur eine Art "fair use", das reicht hier nicht, weil nicht frei für beliebige andersartige Nutzungen. Aber {{PD-Textlogo}} macht Sinn, bei einem Löschantrag wäre ich für "behalten" (nicht löschen). Aber ich bin kein Anwalt ;-) Kategorie Logo ist zu allgemein, such bitte mal was Genaueres, z.B. eine oder zwei Unterkategorien von Logos. –Be..anyone (talk) 21:09, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

contact an author

How can I contact an author of a picture? The one I wish to contact, to get info of the pic, has a username of Legumvra. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.108.21.37 (talk • contribs)

Copyright help regarding File:HAHS crest.png

Hi, I obtained this image via Twitter and was just wondering about its current copyright status?

--Hurlstonian (talk) 15:13, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

So why did you upload it if you don't know its copyright status? Is there any reason to believe it is not copyrighted? - Jmabel ! talk 17:07, 2 December 2014 (UTC)
I needed the image to update the info box of a school Wikipedia page. It is the emblem of an Australian government school by the way, taken from that school's official twitter page. -Hurlstonian (talk) 07:01, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
The emblem's copyright most likely belongs to the school, so the emblem cannot be uploaded here. I've uploaded it to the English Wikipedia at HAHS coat of arms.png and added it to the article. Anon126 ( ) 17:04, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
This section was archived on a request by: Hurlstonian (talk) 06:11, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Can I upload an image I am positive is in the public domain?

I haven't been here in a long time and I went to upload an image, a drawing, that I found at archive.org from a book published in the US in 1905. It is in the public domain. But, all the new directions at the Commons say "do not upload any image you did not take yourself" and there is no mention of being able to upload IF the image is in the public domain. So I am really confused. Can I upload an image I am positive is in the public domain? --CDA (talk) 02:06, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

@CDA: There is no rule prohibiting public domain images from being uploaded to Commons. If it was published in the US anytime before 1923, it's definitely public domain. --Jakob (talk) 02:26, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
If you know exactly what you want, the Special:Upload page offers a raw {{Information}} form, just fill out five lines apparently incl. permissions={{PD-1923}} in this case, and fix missing categories and other details immediately after the upload. –Be..anyone (talk) 02:51, 3 December 2014 (UTC)
@CDA: The code should be permission= (without the S at the end). Anon126 ( ) 16:48, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

No more lo-res preview while picture is loading, please!

For a while now, pictures on the Commons have been displaying a low resolution preview, for the 2-3 seconds or so it takes (on a normal connection) for the picture to load fully. This is actually REALLY annoying and tiring for the eyes. Personally I find absolutely no need to see a blurry preview while I wait for the picture to load, given that the "wait" is only a few seconds anyway. I think it'd be really good to scrap this algorithm and just have the pictures load normally, as on any other website, i.e. without that useless&iritating preview. Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.167.90.244 (talk • contribs)

  • Do you mean Commons image pages like this or images clicked on in Wiki and viewed in the Media Viewer, like this? If it is the later, your issue is with Media Viewer, which can be disabled through 'Preferences' in Wiki. Although (I think) this will require you to register an account, and stay logged in. I hope this addresses your issue. ColonialGrid (talk) 14:19, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

192.167.90.244, please don't crosspost. You waited less than a minute for responses at Commons:Village pump/Proposals before posting here. Marking as resolved here to prevent further forking of the discussion. LX (talk, contribs) 16:02, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

This section was archived on a request by: LX (talk, contribs) 16:02, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Image Deletion

I have been advised by JohnCD to contact Wikimedia Commons regarding deletion of an image on the Bogart Rogers page. The image titled Lieutenant Bogart Rogers, in the Air Service, United States Army, 1920s is not the image of Lt. Bogart Rogers RAF as described in the accompanying narrative.(A Yankee Ace in the RAF (Modern War Studies), The World War I Letters of Captain Bogart Rogers; Bogart Rogers, Earl Rogers (Editor) / Hardcover / Univ Pr of Kansas 1996.) I can verify that the image is not that of Bogart Rogers. I am the co-editor of the above reference and the son of Bogart Rogers. I would appreciate any help in deleting this image and replacing it with Bogart Rogers images I have uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. I hold the rights to these previously unpublished image from the late Bogart Rogers collection and I am offering them freely. Thank you navalflyer Navalflyer (talk) 01:01, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

  • You probably refer to the English-language Wikipedia article Bogart Rogers and to the Commons file currently named File:Lieutenant Bogart Rogers.jpg. Indeed, a web search shows that this image is described as a picture of Eddie Rickenbacker. See a better version in the Auburn University collection, there. By the way, it could be interesting if someone could identify the signature at the bottom.
  • I see that you have already edited the text of the en.wikipedia article. You can remove this image from the en.wikipedia article. Look for the name of the image in the edit box of that article and remove it. You can also insert the name of another image in its place.
  • As for the misnamed file, that is not a reason for its deletion from Commons. If that picture can be useful and if it is free, it can be renamed. On the other hand, that reproduction is of poor quality and the information on the description page is questionable, so it would be acceptable as well to delete it and start clean directly with a better reproduction from a credible source.
  • The user who uploaded the file mentioned a book as the source of this image. Either the uploader misidentified the image or the book misidentified it. It could have been useful if the uploader could have sorted it out. You had a good idea by contacting the uploader on en.wikipedia. However, that user is blocked from en.wikipedia. But anybody who is motivated could search and try to find information about that photo.
-- Asclepias (talk) 03:22, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
@Navalflyer: : I've gone ahead and replaced the image at Bogart Rogers with File:Capt. Bogart Rogers, RAF.jpg, and created Category:Bogart Rogers here on Commons. Any additional images of Rogers can be placed in that category, and the person's category itself can be further be categorized as seen fit (e.g. by occupation and origin), while the individual photos can be categorized with details specific to the image (e.g. year, location, content, etc.). See COM:CAT for more details. File:Lieutenant Bogart Rogers.jpg should simply be renamed rather than deleted. Cheers, Animalparty (talk) 23:22, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

Help with institutions

I'm working thought the institutions which don't have links to wikidata. I asked for some help at Commons:Village_pump#Help_with_institutions. I have found a few more places where new 'Institution:' pages are needed but I can't see how to create a new page for an Institution. Can someone here point me in the right direction? Filceolaire (talk) 22:19, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

Help:Namespaces also lists the Institution namespace, and that describes my complete knowledge about this topic. Check out some existing pages in this namespace, and when you got the idea start your own page. –Be..anyone (talk) 23:34, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

Obtaining consent to post photos of children with special needs

I recently acted as photographer at the UK fragile x society's autumn conference. There it was agreed between myself, conference organisers and parents present that the quality of images on the wikipedia page for should be improved - There's a single cartoon on there currently, a slightly scary and exaggerated caricature.

So it seems a logical thing to do would like to donate some of the portrait photos I took of the kids. Since facial features are a distinguishing feature of fragile x syndrome, it seems that necessarily subjects are going to be very identifiable in the photos, so I think it's definitely best to seek consent first (from parents/guardians).

Does there exist some sort of template consent form I could send out to parents? And, once consent is obtained, how do I go about communicating that consent to wikimedia? If at all possible I'd prefer to keep the kids themselves anonymous (i.e. not named in public). Thanks :) Persaxon (talk) 08:01, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

If a photo is made in a public place, no consent is required. Ruslik (talk) 12:39, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
They were all taken at a closed event and not a public place. However both I (photographer) and the parents of the children featured are willing to license them appropriately for their use on wikimedia, it's more of a matter of how to exactly word and do things to satisfy wikimedia guidelines on 'identifiable persons' in pictures Persaxon (talk) 15:21, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
Side issue: see the {{Personality rights}} template if you are not already familiar with it. Other than that, I suspect the best way to clarify the issues is either to gather the permissions documents in electronic form or to scan them into electronic form, create a template of your own that indicates the nature of the permissions in question, and to use the COM:OTRS process to register the relevant permissions. - Jmabel ! talk 18:03, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
@Persaxon: I would suggest using the {{Consent}} template and COM:OTRS process. Kaldari (talk) 07:21, 7 December 2014 (UTC)
@Persaxon: Sorry for the misleading advice above. Since Commons is a volunteer-run photo website, you can't guarantee to get an accurate answer (much like Wikipedia is not reliable). Our relevant guideline is Commons:Photographs of identifiable people. As you note, a place with access to the public (such as a hotel conference suite or hospital ward) is not necessarily regarded as a "public space". In addition to any law governing the taking of photos, there is also that governing the publication of photos and accompanying information. Labelling the person in the image with a medical condition and identifying symptoms displayed, etc, is most certainly gathering private information disclosed by attendees. So you certainly need consent. You may find the patient-consent information for open-access medical journals useful. See this page -- there's a downloadable consent form for that journal that you may be able to adapt. The Commons user User:Doc James has taken hundreds of patient photos for Commons and I suggest you contact him for advice on the consent he uses. The issue of consent is between you and the subject, and not legally Common's concern. You should be aware that uploading the image here doesn't restrict its use to just that Wikipedia article. Since both Wikipedia and Commons are "free content" projects, images on them must be freely licensed and this means the image could appear in another website or in a book. Personality rights, though, are separate from the licence conditions, and so nobody would be able to use the image in an advert or promotional literature without permission from the subject. The licence you give is irrevocable, as must be the consent the subject (or their parent) gives. While Commons does have a means of performing "courtesy deletions" should someone regret or change their mind in future, this isn't guaranteed, and we have no control over what other people have done with the image meanwhile. Similarly, the use on a Wikipedia article in dozens of languages can be hard to control. Unlike a charity website, which would be happy to remove an image should the subject no longer wish to be "The face of Fragile X", it may be harder to achieve that with a freely licensed image on Wikipedia. These are things your subjects and their carers should consider before giving consent. Also, I agree with you that you should not divulge the subject's name and therefore OTRS is not a suitable place to record patient consent details (which, as I said, are your concern, not Commons). If you wish to discuss any issues privately, you may email me using the link on my user page. -- Colin (talk) 10:23, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

Copyright help

File:Right hand rule for polarity of a solenoid.png

How don't know how can I find eligible license of a picture that I found on the Internet? I have some websites that I traced back to where the pictures are from. http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/35600/35671/rhrsole_35671.htm http://www.splung.com/content/sid/2/page/damped_oscillations What can I do to insert these into my edition? --Vivian Wen (talk) 02:17, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

It's public domain, so I went ahead and uploaded it. Kaldari (talk) 07:18, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

I don't know anything about the license of the picture but don't want the picture to be deleted. So, I want to add the license of the picture so it's not deleted but I'm not sure where to find it or how to do it.

--MLyeah21 (talk) 17:34, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

The image was already deleted as copyvio missing permission. Simplifying, an image can only be hosted if 1) the uploader is the copyright owner and can proof it, if necessary; or 2) the uploader has clear permission for free usage from the copyright owner; or 3) the image is in the public domain for some reason (age, US government work, simple logos, ...). See Commons:Licensing for more information. GermanJoe (talk) 18:04, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

resend activation email.

Hi , I couldn’t activate the link sent to me through my email address , it says it has expired. I recently join wikicommons and didn’t check my email recently. So can you send me another activation email? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bisratwiki (talk • contribs) 08:50, 8 December 2014‎ (UTC)

No, it's not possible for anyone other than you to trigger the sending of an e-mail address confirmation link, but you can do it yourself by going to Special:ChangeEmail. LX (talk, contribs) 11:35, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding File:BOI.jpg

i have permission from the artist to use these images. how do i express that in the copyright section?

--Stephanie bettancourt (talk) 20:51, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

  • See COM:OTRS for how to pass along third-party permissions. (Short version: we need an email or equivalent from the actual rights-holder indicating exactly what license they are granting.) - Jmabel ! talk 21:29, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

How to release rights on Flickr so Flickr to Commons will work

Uploading on Commons seems to be a hurdle and uploading to Flickr is easier. I finally got a friend to upload photos to Flickr, but now I can't see what she needs to do to release her images on Flickr for our Flickr to commons tool - is this documented anywhere? I can get her photos off facebook and upload them myself, but then I am getting reduced resolution, and I would like her to hold the credit as original photographer. Thx Jane023 (talk) 13:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

  • Flickr allows six CC 2.0 licenses; but only CC BY 2.0 and CC BY-SA 2.0 are suitable to Commons. How to set licenses in Flickr is documented here; but a bit outdated after the new Flickr design.
  • Now we can change the license of a particular photo in Flickr simply from the drop down list available at the right side of title, below photo.
  • To change the license of several photos together, choose https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize (while logged in), drag chosen photos to above, select Permissions > Change licensing.
  • To set the default license for future uploads, choose https://www.flickr.com/account/privacy/, Defaults for new uploads, What license will your content have. Jee 15:25, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
Thanks! I certainly hope this will help my friend. Jane023 (talk) 18:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
This section was archived on a request by: Be..anyone (talk) 23:05, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

masturbation video

I would like to submit an ejaculation video. Not sure if I need to just take the video and send it or have it go to a specific place. Also ...who sees these videos? Jockstrap22 (talk) 13:59, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

It better be a technically good, educationally valuable video, and either different from our existing media of the same sort, or remarkably better in quality. Otherwise it's likely to be deleted right away under COM:Nudity#New uploads. (Yes this means someone needs to look at our current penis videos to figure it out. We would be grateful if you did this, since our admins already deal with a ton of... well, uneducational nudity as well as other potentially unsettling content.) Special:UploadWizard should work with compatible video file formats. As for who sees the videos... everyone, forever. If it's deleted, it will remain in a "limbo" of sorts where any admin can see the file in order to evaluate whether it should be restored, or to investigate the legitimacy of its deletion for instance. Only particularly problematic content will be removed in such a way that not even admins can see it in any way. And if you release it here, anyone can pick it up and spread it on, even if it was deleted here. --Pitke (talk) 14:12, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
Clarification: Commons is not censored in any way. Any video you upload will be visible in every category it's tagged with, and it will show up on automatically generated lists of uploads that may or may not be bot-generated user galleries (i.e. semi-permanent). All Internet users can browse all our media content.--Pitke (talk) 14:15, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

familysearch.org/learn/wiki

I use Wiki a lot and I think it's wonderful! I'm going to make a donation as I have done in the past but I'm a bit uncertain about it. I'm doing some research into an area of old France and I was recently given access - but - briefly, to public records. But only once for a short time.

The site that I'm interested in is a new Wiki Project, I think, because Wiki was inviting helpers and counsellors. However, I haven't been able to get access since my first attempts; the site links up with administrative organisms (above)

As I use lots of sources for my researching, is it advisable to donate to Wiki `in general´ or should I send my donation specifically to Wikimedia Commons?

Or does it not make any difference? - perhaps all donations are distributed evenly, regardless of the users' main focus of interests?

Thank you. YT. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jennifer Davies (talk • contribs)

Let's see if this clarifies:
  • Wiki: a type of tool for maintaining a web site. Could be anyone's. Could be completely private to a company. Could be open for public reading, but only for private writing. Could be completely open. Etc.
  • MediaWiki: the particular wiki technology used on Commons, the various language Wikipedias, etc.
  • Wikimedia Foundation (WMF): Non-profit organization that is the parent to Commons, the various language Wikipedias, WikiTravel, WikiSource, WikiData, and a few other projects.
So (1) if it was "a wiki" it may or may not have anything to do with us and (2) except for targeted grants, I would presume there is really no such thing as donating to a particular WMF project as against the umbrella organization, since money is fungible within the WMF. - Jmabel ! talk 17:25, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
Given the subject line, it should be pointed out that https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page is owned by the Mormon Church. It has nothing to do with Wikimedia Commons (the site you're on right now) or any other project managed by the Wikimedia Foundation. LX (talk, contribs) 19:04, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Upload a photograph

Is it legitimate to upload a photograph to Commons which is a portrait of an individual taken before 1945? It is a family photo and there is no attribution to the photographer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JonnyPositive (talk • contribs)

  • Probably not OK, though rules vary from country to country. I assume that by "no attribution to the photographer" you mean you don't know who took the photo. 1945 is recent enough that the photographer might still be alive, and certainly has not been dead for the 70 or 90 years often relevant for copyrights to lapse. If you want more guidance, you'll probably do better to ask at Commons:Village pump/Copyright, but you'd need to give them a lot more information, especially about what country the photo was taken in. - Jmabel ! talk 06:12, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Would someone please upload this photo of Malcolm Knowles?

http://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/catalog/ua014_011-003-cn0043-053-001

Stmullin (talk) 03:40, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

I don't see any reason to believe that the photo you link to is in the public domain or covered by a free license. According to http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua014_011/access, "copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts." That means it can't be uploaded here. LX (talk, contribs) 07:19, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding File:Baals official logo3.png

Hello I need to know under what terms I can upload the image of a logo without infringing on any rights. I am simply uploading the logo to be used as an image pertaining to an article I am contributing. The logo was taken in a low res version off the concerned party's website Thanks --Snajamahmed (talk) 12:49, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Image deletion

Hi. How do I delete an image I have uploaded, if I so choose to.Jugaari cross (talk) 14:18, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

  • Hi, users cannot delete files themselves, only those with admins tools can do that. If you would like to have one of your photos deleted you must start a deletion request. Please note that Creative Commons licenses are irrevocable, and as long as the file is appropriately licenced there is no guarantee that it will be deleted, although courtesy deletions do occur. Which image would you like deleted, and why? ColonialGrid (talk) 15:38, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

File:ESCLŭembourgJ.svg

Lŭembourg instead Lŭembourg

Why when I used [[File:ESCLŭembourgJ.svg]] link this produced broken link to another file. In word Lŭembourg «unknowable wikipowers» produces word Lŭembpurg. Why? At this section words «u & x & e» in <country name with same capital> produced into «ŭ & e». ← Alex Great talkrus? 21:57, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you're asking. Are you looking for the file File:ESCLuxembourg.svg? That's spelled with a "u" rather than a "ŭ" and has an "x" in it. LX (talk, contribs) 07:15, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
Stop using Esperanto as your user interface language. Or type "Luxxembourg". You're running afoul of the x-system's "magical" transmogrification. See also phab:T62677. Lupo 10:44, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
Oh, thank you Lupo. It's all about Esperanto gadget "EoMagicalConversion". I disable it, and link with U and X letters correctly displayed. ← Alex Great talkrus? 12:26, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
This section was archived on a request by: SVG displayed here apparently fine. Be..anyone (talk) 20:31, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Can I edit a video that I have uploaded on Commons ?

I wonder if it's possible to edit a video after it has bean uploaded on Commons? I wish to delete 5 seconds in the beginnings of a video.--Ezzex (talk) 16:42, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

  • You can upload a new version, and if there is (for example) an intellectual property or personality rights issue with a prior uploaded version you can ask to get that version hidden from the public. However, once it is uploaded it is on our servers and remains there, and is exactly what it is. "Deleting" doesn't save server space, it's still there, just not visible. - Jmabel ! talk 17:00, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
Said in another word: I can't edit a video thats uploaded?--Ezzex (talk) 22:09, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
As in edit the file itself after it's uploaded? No, you can't; you can't edit a media file on WMF's servers. Again, though, you can download it if you've lost your copy, edit it, and upload a new version with the same name. The old version will be in the file history, but no one will see it unless they are looking at the history. - Jmabel ! talk 23:02, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
I tried to upload a homemade video and got this message: "You have selected a video file for uploading that is not in a free format. You can install Firefogg a Firefox extension to automatically convert your file". I did so and restarted, but I still get the same message when I try to upload.--Ezzex (talk) 23:54, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
What format do you use in your video? Ruslik (talk) 04:32, 11 December 2014 (UTC)
If it's that difficult, I don't bother to upload videos. It far easy to upload on Youtube. This is a crappy system for videos. I have no such problem when I upload a picture. Maybe Commons automaticly should format uploaded videos and not the user. --Ezzex (talk) 17:47, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

adding the name of a sculptor to the image of the sculpture added by another author

I want to contact Katie Chan KTR. She has uploaded 4 of her images of a sculpture that I made and is permanently installed in ZSL London Zoo. I would like to ask her to add to the credit 'by Christy Symington MRBS' with the title of the sculpture 'Tiger Going For a Swim'. Please can you pass on my message or let me know how to contact her. I have been to her page and do not see the option to email her directly. Many thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christysym (talk • contribs)

  • The best way to contact a user is to post a message on their talk page, just the same as you posted here. Many users to not have email activated but will respond to a message on their talk page. ColonialGrid (talk) 19:02, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

@Christysym: You can also simply edit the files yourself if they are on Commons. Accurate descriptive text is encouraged for all files, and essential information like the sculptor is certainly warranted.Animalparty (talk) 22:05, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

Uploaders should credit the artist when known. If information about the work was omitted, any user can add it to the description page. It can be added in various ways. If enough information is known, it is useful to add it by using the template "Art Photo". For example, I added it to the file File:ZSL London - Tiger going for a swim sculpture (01).jpg. Please check if it is accurate. The same can be done with the other images of the sculpture. It is not necessary to contact the uploader, but, of course, you can contact her if you want. It might be a good thing that an artist reminds a photographer to give credit. The user's talk page is there. -- Asclepias (talk) 23:27, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

bulk downloading of media files (chinese stroke order)

Hi, I'm developing a free and open source typing tutor for the chinese wubi input method (as a javascript web application). I would like to include pictures for each chinese character with its stroke order. This would help learners a lot.

Here is an example of the pictures I'm looking for: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/%E4%BA%BA-bw.png from Commons:Stroke Order Project

Is it possible to get the files (maybe for the 214 radicals) as a zip file or is there another type of url where it is possible to download files with a script? Many thanks in advance — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ndldd (talk • contribs)

Based on Commons:Tools#Download_media I fear the answer is no. There is a rule how the media URLs are constructed, e.g., 6 could stand for "6 bytes for the name", and b could mean "first ASCII letter b", or similar. Unrelated, I vaguely recall that unicode.org already has something about stroke order, maybe you find stuff for your project on the Unicode site. –Be..anyone (talk) 22:14, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Difficult to upload videoes

I just tried to upload a homemade video, which I recently shot on my digital camera, and got this message: "You have selected a video file for uploading that is not in a free format. You can install Firefogg a Firefox extension to automatically convert your file". I did install Firefogg and restarted, but I still get the same message when I try to upload. Why can't Commons make an easier sollution. For example: let Commons give the video the right format when it's uploaded.--Ezzex (talk) 00:24, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

@Ezzex Because every free hosting site has its own rules, and this happens to be the Commons required free format rule. If you want your files hosted for free without this rule, perhaps try YouTube? Ellin Beltz (talk) 16:27, 12 December 2014 (UTC)
The first thing I would check is whether the extension was actually successfully installed. If you go to http://firefogg.org/make/, do get an option to select a file, or does it tell you that "This page requires Firefox with the latest version of Firefogg installed"? If you get the option to select a file, the extension is installed. Are you able to convert the file locally using that process?
There are many reasons why the community has rejected proposals to spend resources on server-side transcoding at this time. Wikimedia is a non-profit organization with finite resources in terms of money, developers and servers. Commercial licenses for some of the most popular proprietary codecs (which Wikimedia would need to purchase in order to enable such functionality) are subject to substantial annual licensing fees (which may increase) as well as secret terms. It's not in Wikimedia's interest to become dependent on such agreements. Taking money donated to a free content project and giving it to an organization with a business model built around proprietary and patented software is likely to disincentivize future donors. It would also require development of server-side technologies for a task for which there are already plenty of perfectly fine client-side solutions. There are many other things that also require developer resources and that are better aligned with the foundation's mission. To do this, something else would have to be cut. Finally, transcoding video is many times more computationally expensive compared to generating thumbnails for images and other things currently done by Wikimedia's servers, and servers also cost money. LX (talk, contribs) 17:12, 12 December 2014 (UTC)
Ok, thanks for the answer.--Ezzex (talk) 20:51, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Revert to a previous image in history

I don't see this answered anywhere, but surely it is a FAQ! There is an image in which later editors have completely ruined an image, so I wanted to revert to a previous version. However, am I just supposed to download the one I like in history, re-upload it, and then make my comments about what happened? The system is setup to call each change to an image like this... So-and-So "uploaded a new version of File:xxx.xxx". But I don't want to upload a new version. Can I just pick an old one that's listed in history? Also, I saw some old comments that indicate that (some?) editors have a "Revert button," but I do not see such a thing. Uruiamme (talk) 03:40, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

@Uruiamme: In the first column of the file history (to the left of the thumbnails), there should be "Revert" links. Anon126 ( ) 03:45, 12 December 2014 (UTC)
And while that may not always appear to work, it does. Caching may prevent you from seeing the change immediately. - Jmabel ! talk 04:52, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

Metmusem OASC images

Hi, I'm interested in perhaps using this photograph from the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a Wikipedia article. It is labelled OASC which links to a set of rather cryptic terms and conditions. However, I see that some similar images from the Met are already in Commons. So I'm a little confused on whether the image can be used or not. Please advise on how to proceed, if at all. (Please ping me in your reply.) Thanks! --Cpt.a.haddock (talk) 15:00, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Hi Cpt.a.haddock! Their terms are actually quite clear, with explicit {{Noncommercial}} and {{Nonderivative}} restrictions that are incompatible with Commons' licensing requirements. In other words: no, that photo cannot be uploaded here. The photos in Category:Sculptures from India in the Metropolitan Museum of Art were not created by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but by independent Commons and Flickr contributors. LX (talk, contribs) 15:33, 12 December 2014 (UTC)
@LX: Thanks for looking into this. Cheers. --Cpt.a.haddock (talk) 15:56, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Purpose

What exactly does this sit do ? I realise this is probably one of the dumbest questions you have received !!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.40.133.25 (talk • contribs)

Please read Commons:Welcome. Yann (talk) 11:28, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

Mass upload of images?

I was exploring the new Qatar Digital Library and found that many of the documents are under creative commons - for example most of the scientific manuscripts (some documents are under UK Open Gov license - not sure if suitable for Commons). Anyhow considering many of the manuscripts/images are okay for uploading on Commons, is there a way I can do a project (by myself or with other users) to mass upload images from the site? --الدبوني (talk) 21:25, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

Just to comment: I think the UK Open Government License is free; we already have a template for version 1. Anon126 ( ) 06:54, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
Thanks. In that case the entire image collection of the website is suitable for Commons upload. Is there a away that process could be sped up?--الدبوني (talk) 08:29, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Image copyright question

A photograph I took myself and uploaded to Commons, File:Haribo Super Piratos.jpg, was recently deleted because of COM:PACKAGING and COM:DW. I won't bother including a link to the deletion discussion because it literally only ever consisted of links to these two pages. How could I photograph the same object (a bag of salty liquorice candy with some of the candies on top of it and beside it) without breaking Commons rules? Can I even photograph the bag at all, or do I have to settle for only photographing the actual candies? JIP (talk) 19:17, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

  • My take (others may want to weigh in) is that if you put a heavy Gaussian blur on the picture of the pirate this would be OK, but that's about the only way. Or you could take a photo of some of the candies with the word "Haribo" and some other text visible on the package. The pirate is definitely copyrighted material without a free license, though, and Commons' rules mean we can't have it. - Jmabel ! talk 19:54, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

BURNSIDE SWEATER IMAGES

I AM BOBBY RIZZO THESE ARE ALL MY PHOTOS I TOOK THESE PHOTOS TO PUT ON OUR WEBSITE A FEW YEARS AGO, THESE ARE MINE, PLEASE PUT THEM BACK UP ON OUR SITE UNDER 'BURNSIDE SWEATERS IMAGES'. YOU CAN ADDRESS ME OR WILLIAM CONTI FOR ANY QUESTIONS. Affected:

File:B sweater2.jpg And also:

File:Burnside sweater 2.jpg File:The BACK PATCH circa 1964.jpg File:Burnside sweaters.JPG File:BURNSIDE white gang sweaters of the 1960's and '70s..jpg File:Burnside gang sweater circa 1972..jpg FDMS 4 20:08, 24 October 2014 (UTC)

THERE WERE OTHER SWEATER PHOTOS THAT WERE ONCE POSTED BUT TAKEN DOWN FOR SOME REASON, PLEASE PUT THEM BACK UP, THEY ALSO WERE MINE. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bobby Rizzo (talk • contribs)

Disputed states image

Is it possible that anyone can help with the File:Limited recognition.png.

Its been agreed at w:List of states with limited recognition that to remove reference to the geopolitical entities that remain completely unrecognised. See: w:Talk:List of states with limited recognition#RFC: Propose use of terminologies "non-UN members" for related discussion content. Basically all that is needed is a removal of the red part of the map- but I don't know how to do it. I guess that the map may be used by other articles and other language articles. If so could a new image possibly be created somehow. I guess that this would mean that contents can be presented in any colour range chosen but the existing colours, without the red, would work just fine. I appreciate that there is not a lot of creativity in a job like this so thought to leave the option open :) Thanks. Gregkaye (talk) 22:23, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

I suggest a simple hack. There aren't many colours, and this PNG can be converted into a format with a palette (to enumerate the used colours.) A special form of PNG, an ordinary GIF, XPM, BMP, or similar. Then identify grey and red in the palette with an image editor supporting this. Overwrite the red entry with grey, convert back to PNG as it was, and you have your world without Somaliland. If you don't have any tool for this job ask again. –Be..anyone (talk) 11:22, 14 December 2014 (UTC)
  • There doesn't appear to be a clear consensus for this change to the file (at least that is the impression I get from the talk page, and the fact that Gregkaye's changes have been reverted). So, if someone does alter the file to remove Somaliland, please respect COM:OVERWRITE and upload it with a different name. ColonialGrid (talk) 16:09, 14 December 2014 (UTC)
    Indeed, and if there will be a zoo of images for different interpretations of "disputed" (I'm always waiting for the infamous w:en:Principality_of_Sealand platform in these cases) working with SVG instead of PNG could significantly simplify edit wars. –Be..anyone (talk) 22:55, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

How to replace an image with a new one

I have downloaded "File:Battle of the Bidassoa - October 9th 1813 - Fonds Ancely - B315556101 A HEATH 032.jpg" and I have cropped the wide margin around the image. How do I upload cropped image to replace the current image? I presume that there is a guideline that covers this, but I could not find it. -- PBS (talk) 22:13, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Mentioned some lines above, COM:OVERWRITE explains this. For your own images you can overwrite them with improved versions (look for "upload new version" in the history section of the file), and folks can revert you, if they think that it was a bad idea. For images uploaded by others be careful, your version should be obviously better, and that's not generally the case for "cropped JPEG" (minimally you'd try a lossless crop.) A new image can be linked as "other versions", if folks later decide that this is a redundant dupe it's no problem, while overwriting good pictures can be very disruptive. –Be..anyone (talk) 23:13, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Index of all images in Category:Health

Hi folks,

Some Stanford Medical Librarians are creating a searchable database of all open medical images from several major online sources. Would it be possible to get a xml or json file with the metadata for every image within Category:Health (and all its subcategories) with the title, description, image src and the url where the user will go after clicking on the image in the search result page? Thanks! Jake Ocaasi (talk) 23:06, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Public domain check

As I've never uploaded an image here before, I'd like an experienced user to check whether this editorial cartoon [1] (published in 1903, but are there special rules about scans, etc?) is in the public domain and can thus be uploaded onto Commons. If so, what tag would be appropriate? The image would be useful to illustrate an old censorship law I'm writing about over on en.wiki. Thanks, Altamel (talk) 04:04, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding File:FreeSpirit Logo.png

Dear Help desk team, I've noticed that there is a licence missing for the Free Spirit logo. I've got the permission to use the logo within wikipedia directly from the band. How do I have to add this licence here? Same for a live picture I would like to upload. Really appreciate your support. Thanks --MustaPerhonen (talk) 23:13, 20 December 2014 (UTC)MustaPerhonen
  • Hi, all images need to be freely licenced to be hosted here, that is why the image may be deleted. This means that simple rehosting permission is not enough, the band must release the logo under a free licence to be hosted here. That would also mean that anyone could use the logo for pretty much any reason; is that something the band is willing to do? If it is, they should follow the procedures set out in COM:OTRS and email the permission to release the free licence though (note that this can only be done by the copyright holder, which may actually be the person who made the logo). If not, you can always use the logo in an English Wikipedia article under fair-use provisions, details of which are available here: en:WP:NFC.
OTRS would also be the right course of action for the photograph, but keep in mind that copyright is probably with the photographer, not the band (and that fair-use is probably not possible for a band photograph). I hope this helps. ColonialGrid (talk) 04:47, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Pictures of statues and copyright again

I know there is a rule against it here (usually 70 years after the artist died) but how strong do the admins enforce this rule? Several of mine photos was deleted in 2013 because of the copyright issues. Yet, I see a lot of photos here that clearly violate the same rules. This goes for both newly uploaded- and old photos. Just look at this. So have there been any changes here this last year? If this copyright rule isn't uphold, I would like to upload my photos again.--Ezzex (talk) 23:12, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

  • Probably some things there that ought to be deleted, because Norway has freedom of panorama only for buildings, not for works of art. Ezzex: I can't speak for everyone about how we enforce this rule, but it is not one of the ones about which I personally am most aggressive, because while it is likely to create a problem for reusers, the concept known in the U.S. as "fair use" means it is unlikely to create a direct problem for Commons as an educational site. I certainly wouldn't ever restore an image that violates the rule, and I'll nominate stuff for deletion when I run across it. Except for very obvious cases, it pretty much always requires an actual deletion discussion rather than speedy deletion, because we have to make sure the uploader is not the artist, etc. But the short of it is that in countries without freedom of panorama for art, you should not upload these, and should feel free to nominate them for deletion whenever you run across them (which is not just an admin task: the admin task is to close the discussion when it reaches resolution and to do the actual deletion). - Jmabel ! talk 07:25, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Jmabel wrote: "I can't speak for everyone about how we enforce this rule, but it is not one of the ones about which I personally am most aggressive, because while it is likely to create a problem for reusers". But the admins in my case where very aggressive. These where User:Túrelio, User:Elcobbola and User:Leyo (all German users). Some feel strongly upholding this rule, while others don't care. The question is what goes and what doesn't here on Commons.--Ezzex (talk) 17:09, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
This, a single DR, is aggressive? Care to elaborate on your concern about German users? Эlcobbola talk 18:49, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Does german subcontinent sounds better?--Ezzex (talk) 19:27, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
The issue is not the phrasing, but that you felt the need to mention nationality in the first place. Again, care to elaborate on your concern about German users? Эlcobbola talk 23:51, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
  • Images that don't have a valid licence are deleted. If a file cannot be licenced properly because of COM:FOP it should be deleted. Some Commoners will search them down and nominate them for deletion, others won't, this is why some fall through the cracks, but all should be found and deleted. I would be surprised if there is an admin here who would ignore an obvious violation of FOP (ie keep it in a DR). You should not upload any files that you know are not licenced properly (including images fouling FOP). ColonialGrid (talk) 17:23, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
What about war-monuments?--Ezzex (talk) 17:48, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
  • It would depend on the monument, and the country. For example, I would assume that a structure similar to the en:Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, if located in Norway would be fine, as it's a building. But if said monument were a statue or non-building structure it wouldn't be ok. Do you have a specific monument in mind? ColonialGrid (talk) 17:52, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
This--Ezzex (talk) 18:46, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Offhand, that memorial looks simple enough not to be eligible for copyright in most countries. - Jmabel ! talk 20:09, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
I'm glad to hear that, but that's seams to be your opinion. Do I dear upload other photos with similar motives?--Ezzex (talk) 21:12, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
I will assume that war monuments under normal conditions aren't eligible for copyright.--Ezzex (talk) 20:33, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

3 lies by Ezzex: I am not a German, was not aggressive and this is not a picture of a statue. --Leyo 20:09, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Everybody has his or her own idea of CIVIL (IIRC it belongs to the 5 pillars also relevant here), but "uploading again" is an odd idea, why not simply ask on COM:UNDEL? –Be..anyone (talk) 20:24, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Several photos of a least two different statues where deleted. I felt as if there where an organized attack against me that time (january 2013). I was a experienced user on Wikipedia, but new on Commons. I was only aware that you couldn't upload photos from the internet. I know nothing about the silly copyright concerning photos of statues (I have perhaps heard about something similar related to Italy).--Ezzex (talk) 21:19, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
As an "experienced user," you know that on a site to which anyone can upload any image, such as Commons or Wikipedia, inevitably some copyright violating images will escape prompt detection by virtue of sheer volume relative to the limited volunteers patrolling them ("I see a lot of photos here that clearly violate the same rules.") That you instead see "an organized attack against me" suggests you lack the experience you purport to have, at least regarding WP:AGF (or COM:AGF - we expect it here, too). If you see images hosted here that should be deleted, perhaps you could nominate them for deletion instead of engaging in such piffle. Эlcobbola talk 23:51, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Answering to your initial question: I didn't see any recent change in Commons:Freedom_of_panorama#Norway; you can look there before new uploads in case of any doubts. I can understand the frustrations when our works get deleted. But we need to understand that we are not eligible for copyrights when third-party rights are protected by applicable law. Just keeping such images in Commons will not make them free. I see some self requests from your side too. See, the licenses are irrevocable; here the author will not get any special consideration unless the work is recently uploaded. Last, this is a multi lingual project; there are a lot of communication problems. We expected to be civil; no excuses for counter attacks from people in a very higher position here. Jee 02:59, 18 December 2014 (UTC)
I've not attacked anyone. Perhaps one of your "communication problems." Эlcobbola talk 05:09, 18 December 2014 (UTC)
Some are so sophisticated in their attacks that there can be very difficult to accuse them.--Ezzex (talk) 21:52, 18 December 2014 (UTC)

Subcategory sort priority

In the Category:Male politicians of Israel some of the subcategories are sorted by first name rather than surname. Where is this determined and how can I fix it? (and what's the syntax for linking a Commons category here?)-- Thanks, Deborahjay (talk) 14:42, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

  • There are two ways of doing this. The first is to place the defaultsort template in the category or file, this will set a sort key for all categories in which the category or file is nested. The second is to insert a sort key into a specific category, by using a piped line and then typing how you would like it sorted. So, if I wanted to sort Category:Amal Nasser el-Din (the first cat in Category:Male politicians of Israel) as el-Din, Amal Nasser in all categories I would add {{DEFAULTSORT:el-Din, Amal Nasser}} to the category (usually placed at the top). However, if I only wanted it to be sorted as el-Din, Amal Nasser in one category (in this example Category:Male politicians of Israel), I would edit the category to be [[Category:Male politicians of Israel|el-Din, Amal Nasser]], this change can also be done with HotCat. Generally speaking, with categories or files of people the defaultsort template should be used, but there may be specific situations where a sort key is appropriate. To answer your final question, if you would like to link to a category, but not have the page included in said category, put a : before the word category (or file in the case of media), ie [[:Category:Male politicians of Israel]]. I hope this answers your questions. ColonialGrid (talk) 15:27, 21 December 2014 (UTC)
Note that the variable DEFAULTSORT is not a template. If someone tried to use it as a template by mistake, it would result in a situation as in this example. -- Asclepias (talk) 19:46, 21 December 2014 (UTC)
Do we have that info already somewhere locally? I'm tempted to create a help page with shortcut COM:CATSORT or similar. –Be..anyone (talk) 23:32, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

Translate File:

Is it possible to translate the namespace File: displayed in the title of a page? Or at least the text generated by Reuse this file? The english prefix works too, but it is preferred to use the translated one on the czech Wikipedia and it would be much more comfortable. Matěj Orlický (talk) 13:31, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

  • Ah, my bad. Does changing the language you use on Commons change the prefix? Try it by clicking on the link labelled "English" next to your name in the row of links to the top right of the screen, then select Czech. Hopefully that works. Sorry for the misunderstanding. ColonialGrid (talk) 15:13, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Is this OK?

Please take a look at here Gallery.

Is this ok? Am I jumping any code or license?

I'm in dying need of the answers. DtwipzBTalk 21:23, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

@Dibyendutwipzbiswas: Don't worry, this is fine (unless someone else wants to offer a different view). Anon126 ( ) 06:29, 23 December 2014 (UTC)
+1, one tool I tested yesterday would even create a gallery subpage of my uploads. Lots of users have subpages with their favourites. Not excessive, of course, commons isn't a web hoster for user galleries. –Be..anyone (talk) 06:58, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

MediaWiki talk:Gadget-Stockphoto.js/hr‎

Please copy code from the talk page to the relevant main page. Thnx --Ex13 (talk) 23:05, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Cat A Lot

Can the gadget automatically remove the {{Uncategorized}} template when adding a category? 1989 17:26, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Nevermind. 1989 19:39, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Fair use

I'm confused about fair use. On the guidelines page there is info about it, but on the Uploads page, under Licensing, it says "Fair use, not allowed, image will be deleted." So what is the situation? I note that an image from TV coverage of the Sydney hostage crisis has just been deleted.

Sardaka (talk) 06:40, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

Hi, there was a similar question on the Village Pump today, does the answer there maybe help you? –Be..anyone (talk) 06:51, 24 December 2014 (UTC)
The guidelines page does mention it, to tell that a fair use justification is not possible on Commons. So, that is the situation. -- Asclepias (talk) 15:03, 24 December 2014 (UTC)
  • As Commons' purview goes beyond supporting Wikimedia projects, and is a repository of free media, fair use is not appropriate. Only freely licenced media, which can be used by anyone for (almost) any purpose is permitted to be uploaded here, and unfree media is deleted. However, some local projects permit fair use, for example info about English Wikipedia's fair use policy is at en:WP:NFC. Could you please link to the guidelines page where fair use is mentioned? Which file was deleted? It can probably be moved back to Wiki to be used under fair use. ColonialGrid (talk) 12:48, 24 December 2014 (UTC)
Looks like I wasn't aware of the difference between uploading to WP and uploading to commons. Think I've got it now. Thanks.

Sardaka (talk) 07:30, 25 December 2014 (UTC)

FOP question

It seems that this monument was dedicated in May 1947 according to [2]. Is there some way it could still meet FOP? Thanks, --Jakob (talk) 19:58, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

The date of dedication is not related to FOP in any way. In addition, there is no FOP in USA for monuments. Ruslik (talk) 20:22, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
@Ruslik0: I am aware that the date of dedication is not related to FOP. However, I do not know when the monument was built, so my best guess is sometime around the date of dedication. Anyway, I suppose I'll have to request deletion of it? --Jakob (talk) 23:28, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
Now "in use", I've added the marker text from your info, thanks. Presumably still ending up in some DR, feel free to test the procedure with this example. –Be..anyone (talk) 01:18, 18 December 2014 (UTC)
There is basically no chance that is in copyright in the US. There are theoretical chances, if it has a proper copyright notice and was renewed, and you should probably take a good look at it for a copyright notice and if there is one the copyright renewals should be checked, but I'm not holding my breath in concern.--Prosfilaes (talk) 14:55, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Search oriental+art+nude

And what do I get? the usual - 500 old Romanian newspapers. Sigh. Can't we do something about this old newspapers to stop them from jumping up everywhere? All searches are just cluttered with them. Actually pretty much all. One just spends countless hours trying to get to the actual subject in media searched - everywhere. --Hafspajen 12:28, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Institutionally, move newspapers (and the 19th century American magazines my searches more often find unwanted) to Wikisource. Individually, use "-pdf" since most these documents are in that format. Jim.henderson (talk) 13:14, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Can I change licence to my uploaded pictures

If I have uploaded picture with public domain license, Can I change license to creative commons an example File:Henristenroth6.JPG--Motopark (talk) 08:06, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

No. Only the copyright holder can issue a valid copyright license, and once you have released a work into the public domain, you are no longer the copyright holder. LX (talk, contribs) 10:39, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

What are the criteria of experienced users?

I have a problem to have a file mover right, that says I still lack experience, so, what are the criteria needed to be an experienced user? --TagaSanPedroAko (talk) 04:00, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

You don't really need file mover rights. Special:MovePage followed by a {{Speedy}} for the remaining redirect is an almost perfect approximation, and for files {{Rename}} is a perfect approximation. If file movers have had it with your {{Rename}} requests they could nominate you as "file mover" to handle your own and other requests. For each self-nomination add "needs one more year of experience".:tongue: Update, more seriously, account since 2014-11-16 won't do, maybe wait until you have 5,000 or more edits. –Be..anyone (talk) 07:02, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Is there some bot to change Author name in files?

I changed username as old username was real name. But I have mentioned old username against 'Author' in all my uploads and it won't change automatically. Also anyone can take my old username in future, so the Author field will show wrong Author of my images. Will I have to edit hundreds of files to change Author field or will some bot help me out? Rsika (talk) 15:22, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

Thanks. Unfortunately, I use mobile and I don't have access to computer in my village. I request you and other users to fix this problem and please help me out. Rsika (talk) 06:43, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
They you will have to be more specific about what you want changed, rather than "my old author name." - Jmabel ! talk 15:33, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
Almost all my uploads are my own work files except some files which are work of others or PD-India. These other files to be excluded from corrections are File:Alkal.JPG File:AlkaLamba.jpg File:Aamir-Salman.jpg File:RajdeepSardesai.jpg File:Asirgarh-Fort.jpg File:AsirgarhFort.jpg File:Mudhai Devi temple at Waghali (Vaghli).jpg.

In all of my own work files, I have mentioned Author's name as author=ABHIJEET, which was my previous username. As it is my real name, I changed it for privacy reasons. Now my new username is Rsika. I request following change in my all own work files - Author=ABHIJEET --> Author = Rsika. Thanks. Rsika (talk) 18:06, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Question by Greg Harm Austin

Do I understand correctly that I am barred from posting a photograph that I don't want to put in the public domain? I wish to contribute a photograph of a significant historic work, but won't do so if others can profit from my work.

While I have no objection to sharing my image for educational purposes, I don't want to see it being used on tee shirts.

Please advise and see if there is not some way to compromise to share my photo, but not to have it distributed totally free.

THanks, Greg Harm Austin bisonwerks@gmail.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bisonwerks (talk • contribs)

  • To contribute to Commons you do not have to release your images into the public domains, but you do have to make them available under a suitable free licence. Wikipedias and Commons are not simply free in the meaning that they are free to access, they are free in that anyone can contribute to them and use the content however they wish, including for commercial uses (so long as proper credit is given where applicable, and that the resulting work is also available under a free license). Further, Commons scope goes beyond supporting the Wikimedia projects, also acting as a free image repository for anyone to use. To this end, images which have a restriction on commercial usage are not suitable for Commons. ColonialGrid (talk) 14:13, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Reuse of Commons content outside of Wikimedia - attribution

Hello, I want to reuse a content from Commons on my website. In my articles will be images from Commons together with necessary information (author, source, license). On the homepage will be previews of the articles together with small images that correspond with image from the article. When you click that, it will take you to the article where will be the same biger image together with authour, source and license information. My questin is whether this is enough for attribution or whether the attribution information should be also under these tiny previews on the homepage. Thank you. --109.81.209.149 17:54, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Sounds like a good plan. Don't forget to link CC license info to their corresponding pages. –Be..anyone (talk) 19:01, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Batch of Bucharest photos

I was recently in Bucharest and took a bunch of photos which now are on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmabel/sets/72157649308479709/ (the last of them are uploading as I write this). Except for a few photos of myself and my friends, which I've marked as all rights reserved, these are appropriately licensed for Commons. However, I'm not very knowledgeable about Romanian intellectual property rights, especially Freedom of Panorama but also extending to the degree to which there are personality rights issues about man-in-the-street photos, etc. Could someone more familiar with Romanian law help determine what can appropriately be uploaded to Commons (and possibly take on that process of uploading? Ideally, that would also be someone who knows Bucharest well enough to do a better job of descriptions for a lot of the historic buildings I photographed. - Jmabel ! talk 17:40, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

  • I see it's been a few days and no response here. Can anyone even volunteer to help out with guidance on intellectual property issues and on subject identification if I take this on myself? - Jmabel ! talk 19:31, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
I found this: Commons:Freedom_of_panorama#Romania. Should you decide to mass upload any files from your Flickr feed, regardless of license, be sure they are within the scope of Commons. Historic buildings would be welcome assuming they are allowable. Cheers! - Animalparty (talk) 02:42, 27 December 2014 (UTC)
  • Right, I'm aware of that, but there are also personality rights issues on pictures with identifiable people (and possibly even identifiable vehicles). I'd really prefer if someone who really knows their way around Romanian intellectual property rights takes this on. Last time I uploaded photos of Romania (2006) I had about 1/5 of what I uploaded deleted, and while I'm sure I gleaned some of the boundaries from that experience, I'm equally sure I missed others. - Jmabel ! talk 23:36, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

Picture removal

Dear staff at Wikimedia Commons Help Desk

I want to ask for your assistance regarding removal of a picture of me on your webpage.

It is concerning this web address: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Janne_Nielsen.jpg

Can you help me remove the picture?

Kind Regards Janne Hellerup Nielsen/Denmark — Preceding unsigned comment added by ‎188.120.84.24 (talk • contribs)

Cannot accurately upload an image using your prompts

Hello.

A photographer has given me permission to upload an image. The photographer does not want to upload the photograph personally (due to time and resource constraints) and the task of uploading rests with me. While attempting to upload the photograph, I find that none of the predetermined options applies. How do I proceed, please? JoeMCMXLVII (talk) 18:52, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

JoeMCMXLVII, you should use the plain form in this case. (Don't click "Try the Upload Wizard", since that takes you back to where you were before.) Fill out the information, and, in the "Permission" box, copy the code {{OTRS pending|...}} that appears below it. "OTRS pending" means that the permission is pending confirmation.
To confirm the permission, you need to ask the owner (the photographer, in this case) to send an e-mail according to the instructions on this page. We will handle the rest.
Anon126 ( ) 00:38, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

--Evanildo Monteiro (talk) 05:29, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

Wiki Commons Login Issue

I can't log onto Wiki Commons. When I try to login I get this message "Central login. You are centrally logged in. Reload the page to apply your user settings." (This is after I am already logged onto WP or WV or both). I reload the page and nothing changes. I cannot use "Create account" or "Log in" as I get redirected back to the Central login message. Can someone advise me? 49.49.12.110 10:35, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

What is your account name? Ruslik (talk) 17:33, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

Iranian governmental organization

Can we use pictures from Iranian governmental organizations when they are not licensed? Can any one verify the materials of the lead of this article? Mhhossein (talk) 12:51, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

The lead of that article is well cited and easily checkable. Commons worries about Iranian copyright law, and apparently so does the English Wikipedia (though I don't think anyone has pounded out the details), but Iran has not signed any international copyright laws (and when they do, all works in copyright in Iran that are post-1922 will be restored to copyright in the US under the URAA.)--Prosfilaes (talk) 14:27, 31 December 2014 (UTC)
@Mhhossein, No, you still need to have appropriate license and permission. it is true that Iran is among few countries which have no copyright relations with the U.S., however, it is Wikipedia policy to respect the copyright law of other nations, even if they do not have official copyright relations with the United States. we, too, respect that policy at Wikimedia Commons, and any content uploaded here should be freely usable in the U.S. and also in the country of origin.  ■ MMXX talk 15:46, 31 December 2014 (UTC)
@Mmxx and Prosfilaes: If the website publishes the content under CC and GFDL should I verify whether it really holds the copy right before using it here? How? Mhhossein (talk) 18:33, 31 December 2014 (UTC)
Yes, you have to verify that the source is the copyright holder or has the right to publish or license their contents. how to verify that the source website has these rights? if the image doesn't have any attribution, you can contact the website and ask where they got the image from, and who is its author/photographer. the website is either the creator of their contents, or they should know their sources. you can also check the image's Exif data, or search for it on the internet and see if you can find its true source or other helpful information. see Commons:License laundering for more information.  ■ MMXX talk 13:22, 1 January 2015 (UTC)
@Mmxx: Is it enough if the photographer is mentioned? Mhhossein (talk) 19:19, 1 January 2015 (UTC)
That's good for the start, and we can investigate the copyright status. for works claimed to be in public domain, the date and information of first publication may also be required.  ■ MMXX talk 20:13, 1 January 2015 (UTC)
This section was archived on a request by: Green Giant (talk) 14:52, 11 January 2015 (UTC)