New subject: Wiki-Glam 2013

5 Mar 2013

      Hæ öll.
Ég hef verið í samskiptum við Asaf Bartov hjá Wikimedia um mögulegt
Wikimediafélag á Íslandi. Ég áframsendi nú þau samskipti á póstlistann.
Hann bendir á möguleikann á að við getum til að byrja með skipulagt
okkur sem "user group"
(https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_User_Groups). Það er nýlega
tilkomin skilgreining hjá WMF og hefur þá kosti að slíkur félagsskapur
nýtur viðurkenningar sem samstarfsaðili Wikimedia en þarf ekki að vera
jafn formbundinn og chapter félag. Slíkur hópur gæti einnig starfað
undir regnhlíf FSFÍ. Honum líst vel á áform um að gera dálítið mikið úr
afmælisárinu og bendir á að okkur standa til boða styrkir frá Wikimedia
til þess að koma hlutum í framkvæmd.
Ég vakti athygli á stöðunni á léninu Wikipedia.is og því verður vísað
til lögfræðihóps WMF. Stofnunin vill eiga þetta lén sjálf án milliliða
en íslenska Wikimedia-samfélagið getur haft áhrif á hvernig það verður
notað.
kv.
Bjarki
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [Ticket#2013022010001174] Requesting a permission to use
WMF logo and name for a project in Iceland
Date: 	Tue, 5 Mar 2013 10:57:31 -0800
From: 	Asaf Bartov abartov@wikimedia.org
To: 	Bjarki Sigursveinsson bjarki@gmail.com
Hello, Bjarki.
Thanks for this useful information!  I agree the 10th anniversary would
be a great opportunity for increasing public awareness etc., and we'd be
happy to support the costs of an event, outreach materials, etc.,
through a grant.
Could you tell me a little more about the Icelandic community?  Our
stats pages[1] suggest there are about 30 active editors and about 4
very active editors.  About how many of those do you know personally?
 How geographically diverse is the community?  What has the response to
your efforts been like, so far?
Forming a sub-group within FSFí would be fine, and possibly a good first
step, but you are correct that a _chapter_ is expected to be an
independent, incorporated entity dedicated to Wikimedia work, although
in fact several Wikimedia Chapters are also functioning as their
countries' Creative Commons affiliates.  However, last year we have
introduced new models of affiliation -- thematic organizations[2] and
user groups[3].  We find that a Wikimedia User group, which doesn't need
to be incorporated, is often the best fit for a group in the beginning.
 If and when the group wants/need to incorporate and wants chapter
status, it can apply for recognition as a chapter, with its track record
of activity as a user group.  Another benefit of the user group model
would be that it is perfectly compatible with the group also being a
sub-group within FSFí.  What do you think?
If and when you are ready to proceed with affiliation (in any model),
the way forward is by applying to the (all-volunteer) Affiliations
Committee (AffCom).  Details here[4].
Regarding the domain squatter -- I have forwarded this to our legal
department, as they handle trademark issues.  They will try to approach
the current owner politely and see where that goes.  If needed, we can
file an appeal on the basis of the trademark and gain control of the
domain, but that's a more expensive process.  The WMF should own
wikipedia.* domains, as for other to own it would be a trademark
violation.  If/when we gain control of that domain, we would welcome the
Icelandic community's thoughts on what would be the best content for it
-- probably something similar to the current one, minus the ads. :)
Cheers,
Asaf
[1] http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/SummaryIS.htm
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Thematic_Organizations
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_User_Groups
[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee
On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 10:31 AM, Bjarki Sigursveinsson <bjarki@gmail.com
mailto:bjarki@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello Asaf.
Thank you for the response. Stephen was quite clear about my
    inquiry, I will contact the political parties but in my own personal
    capacity.
Starting a Wikimedia chapter in Iceland was discussed in the
    Icelandic Wikipedia community several years ago but the that effort
    went into coma. I have been trying to revive these efforts partly
    because there is a 10 year anniversary of the Icelandic Wikipedia
    coming up in December 2013 and that occasion should be celebrated
    and used to increase public awareness of and participation in
    Wikimedia projects. The ideas that have been floated involve regular
    off-wiki meet-ups, outreach to students and an anniversary
    conference in December where we could perhaps invite a speaker from
    the foundation.
I have been in contact with the chairman of the Icelandic Instute
    for Digital Freedom (FSFÍ) who is eager to assist and help promote
    Wikimedia in Iceland. It has been suggested that Wikimedians in
    Iceland could form a sub-group within FSFÍ although I think that in
    order to be a WM-recognized chapter, our group would need to be
    independent and focused solely on Wikimedia projects.
There has been some concern about the registration of the domain
    wikipedia.is http://wikipedia.is which is currently held by an
    individual who is not using it just to benefit the goals of
    Wikimedia but as a personal ad space for his business. Although to
    be fair, he also displays links to Wikipedia. Perhaps you could tell
    me if the foundation has a policy on these matters? Since there is
    no local chapter operating in Iceland (yet), it has been suggested
    that the Icelandic Institute for Digital Freedom could register the
    domain or an individual who is more aligned to the goals of the
    foundation, but this would need the backing of the foundation as the
    trademark holder if the current holder of the domain does not
    respond to being asked politely.
Regards,
    Bjarki
On 26.2.2013 21:15, Asaf Bartov wrote:
...
Hi, Bjarki.

Thanks for reaching out!  I hope Stephen's response was clear.  I
wanted to express my delight at hearing from you and learning
about the renewed interest in off-wiki activities in Iceland.
 Please consider me your primary contact at WMF.

I would love to hear more about this new group and your plans, and
to offer any help I can.  I hope you are aware of the various WMF
grantmaking programs -- see
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Start if you're not.  Beyond
funding and trademark permission, I might be in a position to help
connect you with other Wikimedians who have relevant experience or
who are currently working on similar projects.

I look forward to staying in touch.

Cheers,

   Asaf

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 10:39 AM, Stephen LaPorte
<slaporte@wikimedia.org <mailto:slaporte@wikimedia.org>> wrote:

    Hello Bjarki,

    Your email was forwarded by a member of our volunteer response
    team. Thank you for contacting us, and I am happy to hear
    about the group of Wikimedians in Iceland!

    In general, a group may receive permission to use official
    logos after they are recognized by the Affiliations Committee
    <http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee>. The
    Affiliations Committee recognizes three types of groups: user
    groups, chapters, and thematic organizations. I would like to
    introduce my colleague, Asaf Bartov <abartov@wikimedia.org
    <mailto:abartov@wikimedia.org>>, who may be able to provide
    some guidance about the Affiliations Committee's process.

    Before your group has received recognition, you may request
    limited trademark permissions for specific activity or event.
    These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If your
    group would like to request to use a logo, first I suggest
    reviewing the trademark policy at
    <http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Trademark_policy>. If
    your proposed use will require permission, please send a
    detailed description of the request and proposal (including a
    mockup or demo, if possible) to <trademarks@wikimedia.org
    <mailto:trademarks@wikimedia.org>>. Of course, please feel
    free to contact me at <slaporte@wikimedia.org
    <mailto:slaporte@wikimedia.org>> if you have any questions.

    Finally, please note that contacting politicians or political
    candidates is a complicated place to start. For tax reasons,
    our grants or trademarks may not be used to influence a
    political election or lobby for legislation. You may provide
    general education about Creative Commons licenses, but we do
    not officially contact politicians, political candidates, or
    political parties. This sort of activity should only be done
    in an unofficial, non-sponsored, individual capacity. I would
    recommend starting with other events or activities that
    support contributors, such as a conference, competition, or
    edit-a-thon.

    Thanks again for reaching out to us, and I look forward to
    working with you.

    Best,
    Stephen

    On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 4:49 AM, Wikipedia information team
    <info-en@wikimedia.org <mailto:info-en@wikimedia.org>> wrote:

        Hi,

        We have a request below for logo use from a fellow editor
        who would like to use it
        in hopes of establishing a chapter in Iceland.

        Yours sincerely,
        Mike VanHall

        --
        Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/
        ---
        Disclaimer: all mail to this address is answered by
        volunteers, and responses are
        not to be considered an official statement of the
        Wikimedia Foundation. For official
        correspondence, please contact the Wikimedia Foundation by
        certified mail at the
        address listed on https://www.wikimediafoundation.org/
        ---- Forwarded message from Bjarki Sigursveinsson
        <bjarki@gmail.com <mailto:bjarki@gmail.com>> ---

        From: Bjarki Sigursveinsson <bjarki@gmail.com
        <mailto:bjarki@gmail.com>>
        To: info@wikimedia.org <mailto:info@wikimedia.org>
        Subject: Requesting a permission to use WMF logo and name
        for a project in Iceland
        Date: 2013-02-20 04:39:47

        > Hi,
        >
        > I am requesting a permission to use the Wikimedia
        Foundation name and
        > logo for a special project in Iceland. There is no
        currently operating
        > local chapter in Iceland but there is a group of
        enthusiasts that has
        > been meeting and talking lately about reviving efforts
        to establish a WM
        > chapter in Iceland. I am one of those people. I am also
        an administrator
        > or a bureaucrat on several Wikimedia projects. (Global
        user "Bjarki_S").
        >
        > Parliamentary elections are coming up in April and the
        political parties
        > are making their promotional materials, including promo
        photos of their
        > candidates. Now would be a good time to contact the
        parties and
        > introduce them to the benefits of CC licensing these
        photographs to
        > ensure maximum distribution and nicely illustrated
        Wikipedia articles.
        > The parties need clear directions in the matter to
        ensure this is done
        > correctly and not in violation of the rights held by the
        photographer
        > that they hired to do the shots. The parties need to
        clarify the terms
        > with the hired photographers that make these pictures so
        that there is
        > no doubt that the pictures can be CC licensed and it is
        preferable that
        > the parties themselves publish the photographs on their
        own sites or
        > flickr streams and clearly state the licensing terms there.
        >
        > A request like this would carry a lot more weight if one
        could say it
        > was approved by the WMF if not directly sponsored by it.
        It could also
        > be seen as a pilot project for the eventual foundation
        of a local
        > chapter as per:
        > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Step-by-
        step_chapter_creation_guide#Step_3:_Run_a_pilot_program_.28Optional_step.29
        >
        > I was not quite sure about how to contact the Foundation
        for a
        > permission such as this so I sent this request as an
        email to
        > info@wikimedia.org <mailto:info@wikimedia.org> where it
        can hopefully be forwarded to anyone
        > authorised to give such permissions.
        >
        > Sincerely.
        >
        > --
        > Bjarki Sigursveinsson
        > +354 8215644 <tel:%2B354%208215644>
        > Mánagötu 8
        > 105 Reykjavík
        > Iceland
        >
        >
        >
        ---- End forwarded message ---

    -- 
    Stephen LaPorte
    Legal Counsel
    Wikimedia Foundation

    /This message might have confidential or legally privileged
    information in it. If you have received this message by
    accident, please delete it and let us know about the mistake.
    For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the
    Wikimedia Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice
    to or serve as a lawyer for community members, volunteers, or
    staff members in their personal capacity./

-- 
    Asaf Bartov
    Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share
in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
https://donate.wikimedia.org

-- 
    Bjarki Sigursveinsson
    +354 8215644 tel:%2B354%208215644
    Mánagötu 8
    105 Reykjavík
    Iceland
-- 
    Asaf Bartov
    Wikimedia Foundation http://www.wikimediafoundation.org

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share
in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
https://donate.wikimedia.org

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