There is a lot of talk about getting free alternatives to restricted Fair Use images, and how this is actually a priority of the Wikimedia Foundation.
That said, I want to point out one specific area where the Foundation is failing. The United States consists of 50 states, each of which has a state seal, but to date, only twenty of the state seal images are free, i.e., 60 percent are fair use images, when a free alternative should be easily available. In fact, what possible justification is there for using a fair use image?
Free State Seal images are available for:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Washington State.
Fair use State Seal images are used for:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
As you can see, there is no why or wherefore to these lists. I hope that rectifying this becomes a priority.
Danny
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