Hi all,

The message below I sent to the Wikimedia chapters.

As WMF considered SOPA as a big issue for Wikipedia/Wikimedia, this can have a huge impact on Wikipedia, Commons and other wikis and I think it would be good if WMF can take a stand in this matter and would help the European chapters with this issue.

Certainly some help with the E-mail / Tweet your Member of the European Parliament (like with SOPA) would help!

Greetings,

Romaine

Hi all,

This concerns all the chapters in the European Union and chapters in other European countries as well (copying is possible).

Subject
Copyrights reform in Europe going in the wrong direction, damaging Wikipedia.

What is going on?

In the European Parliament currently a proposal (amendment) is submitted that will restrict Freedom of Panorama in Europe.
This means: you are no longer allowed to upload images from modern buildings and works of public art on Commons and not allowed to use those images on Wikipedia.

Also if Freedom of Panorama is only allowed for Non Commercial purposes only, this is a problem for Wikipedia!

Some details?

It concerns the amendment AM421 proposed by Cavada and passed in the JURI committee.

When is the voting about the amendment?

Thursday 9th July

But we have one chance only!

What can we do about this?

• Forward this e-mail to anyone who should know about this.
  
• Talk to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in your country. Especially the members of the EPP, S&D and ALDE groups. -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_European_Parliament,_2014%E2%80%9319
  
• Communicate this issue to the members of your association, to your Wikipedia communities, and to the readers of Wikipedia. The public needs to know!
  
• Translate: There will come a page on Meta about this, which needs translation. This page with info will contain basic information and can be linked to. This page can be copied to the local Wikipedias. This was done as well for the SOPA situation in 2012 which also attacked Wikipedia, example: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA
  
• Publicise a press release about this, write about it on your website/blog, talk to the media how this can damage Wikipedia, etc.
• Use social media: Twitter, Facebook, and so on...
  
• Twitter about it and retweet them. Suggestions: https://twitter.com/Wikimedia_BE/status/611000943908384768 - https://twitter.com/Wikimedia_BE/status/610984311853064193 - https://twitter.com/dimi_z/status/610792189631811584
• Twitter also directly to the Members of the European Parliament directly and ask them if they want to turn Wikipedia into black.

Also we should think about a CentralNotice / Sitenotice to inform our readers.

Where is the coordination?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Freedom_of_Panorama_2015

To have an overview it would be handy if you sign up for your country/area.

Collect here also your actions like press releases, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. Those can be useful to read and to see where some action is missing or needed.

You need more information?

Read the upcoming Signpost article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2015-06-17/Three_weeks_to_save_freedom_of_panorama_in_Europe

Also

The Dutch chapter (WMNL) has formed a project group (including me) who is working hard on getting more attention for this subject. Both towards MEPs, the local community and towards the readers of Wikipedia. A campaign is coming up today or in the following days.

In Brussels Dimitar and Karl are monitoring the situation in the European Parliament. Thanks to them this issue comes to our attention.

Does your MEP like to meet someone in Brussels? Dimitar and Karl are in Brussels and I can come there as well.

Other suggestions?

Let us know!

Thanks!

Romaine

----

board member of Wikimedia Belgium

volunteer for Wikimedia Nederland

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