On Jan 17, 2008 1:45 PM, Durova <nadezhda.durova@gmail.com> wrote:

Commons:License information has significant gaps in copyright overviews for developing countries. This presents real problems for Wikimedians who wish to upload historic public domain images.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Licensing#License_information

The other day I located two panoramas: Havana harbor and the Panama Canal being built. Both are public domain under United States law where the images were published, but Commons rules require that they also be verified public domain in the country where they were photographed. Neither Cuba or Panama is listed on the license information page, so I've attempted a translation of the relevant law. My Spanish is not strong, nor am I qualified to give legal opinions, so if you can help please verify my tentative translations posted here:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:Requested_Translations#Spanish_to_English

This raises another issue: which country's copyright laws prevail for the former Canal Zone? United States or Panama? Commons currently hosts some images of the canal's construction and the ones I checked are marked only as PD-US, which may or may not be adequate. And more generally, whose laws apply when national jurisdiction changes? I found some other historic photographs from Africa, but didn't upload them because of these unanswered questions.

Is there any coordinated effort to fill in the gaps at the Commons:License information page? If not, there should be.

-Durova

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