But I can't understand why this http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image%3A843-870_Europe.jpg is fair use. The map has been created for an encyclopedia or an history textbook. If this is fair use, is there any picture we may not use?

It depends on its source. Many maps designed as teaching aids aren't copyrighted, for the very good reason that they are copied by teachers throughout an educational system. Others are issued with the instruction "for educational use only". If the former, without copyright there would be no problem in usage. If the latter, one could argue that as wikipedia is clearly for educational and not commercial usage, it could claim usage.

Looking at the image, I would say it probably predates the 1950s though whether it predates the 1923 copyright limit is hard to say. The nature of the colouring and font usage I have seen in 19th century documents and history books but also in the 1950s. It certainly was not designed on a computer, unless someone was trying to construct a 'retro' look. So unless we know the source we cannot say whether it is copyright-free, copyright-expired or designed exclusively for educational use. The trouble is this seems first to have appeared on wiki under the dreaded DW. Maybe, as Camembert and others suspected the obnoxious Jacques was really DW in a French accent, we should ask Jacques before he goes where he got it. Or on second thoughts, maybe not. We don't want to give him an excuse to stay!!!

JT

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