On 9/6/06, David Gerard <dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 06/09/06, Anthony <wikilegal(a)inbox.org>
wrote:
And if your proposal, with that modification, is
accepted, then I
propose we start a Wikipedia Commons (note the "p") to put images
which can be freely used in an encyclopedia, even if they can't be
used on a bottle of dish detergent.
You mean, a service project designed to hold common images used on the
Wikipedias so that they don't have to keep duplicate images on the
projects? That's a great idea, and we should propose it to the
Foundation immediately! I wonder if we need to change anything in the
software to support it.
I assume you're being sarcastic, as Wikimedia commons does exactly
this, but just thought I'd mention it because in your first post to
this thread you seem to like the idea of restricting trademarked
images.
Anyway, thinking about this more I have to say that providing free
images for people to use on their bottles of dish detergent is at
least currently outside the scope of Wikimedia. The same could be
said of most other products too. So unless trademark law restricts
the ability to use an image on textbooks, or encyclopedias, or
dictionaries, or newspapers, or quote books, or species directories,
then I don't see the problem with it being on commons. Ironically,
the only image I can think of which this would restrict is the same
image which isn't even free wrt copyright law and would probably
continue to get grandfathered in anyway - the Wikimedia logo.
Anthony