Hi,
I'm evaluating our legal options around commercially using wikipedia content, if this is not the right forum, please let me know / forward the question. It might be that the method I describe is not legally possible, so if there is any similar situation that does or does not work, please let me know either. I'd like to play safe in this field and avoid potential issues.
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Thank you for your help, Istvan
Hello,
If I read your example there is something missing, its very important that you also add the license and the note that everybody can use the content for personal or commercional use according the terms stated in the license.
I don't think you can change the license and when you sell it, it would stay under a free license.
Huib
2009/12/27, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com:
Hi,
I'm evaluating our legal options around commercially using wikipedia content, if this is not the right forum, please let me know / forward the question. It might be that the method I describe is not legally possible, so if there is any similar situation that does or does not work, please let me know either. I'd like to play safe in this field and avoid potential issues.
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Thank you for your help, Istvan
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Hi Huib,
Thanks for the addition, it is a good point. This means the only valid business model would be the personalized content, because that way the users are unlikely to copy the content from each-other. Can you point any flaw in that model?
Thanks, Istvan
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 4:04 PM, Huib Laurens sterkebak@gmail.com wrote:
Hello,
If I read your example there is something missing, its very important that you also add the license and the note that everybody can use the content for personal or commercional use according the terms stated in the license.
I don't think you can change the license and when you sell it, it would stay under a free license.
Huib
2009/12/27, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com:
Hi,
I'm evaluating our legal options around commercially using wikipedia content, if this is not the right forum, please let me know / forward the question. It might be that the method I describe is not legally possible, so if there is any similar situation that does or does not work, please let me know either. I'd like to play safe in this field and avoid potential issues.
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Thank you for your help, Istvan
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*For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it? * Well, that's because Wikimedia isn't a business model.
DM
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 9:34 AM, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com wrote:
Hi,
I'm evaluating our legal options around commercially using wikipedia content, if this is not the right forum, please let me know / forward the question. It might be that the method I describe is not legally possible, so if there is any similar situation that does or does not work, please let me know either. I'd like to play safe in this field and avoid potential issues.
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Thank you for your help, Istvan
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On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 4:19 PM, David Moran fordmadoxfraud@gmail.com wrote:
*For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Well, that's because Wikimedia isn't a business model.
It is okay, not a tragedy in our case. I just need a full clarification on this, because that will influence not only our use of Wikipedia content, but our selection of the license we shall use on non-wikipedia content.
Regards, Istvan
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 9:34 AM, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com wrote:
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
If people can bottles of water for nearly $1/liter, I'm sure there's a business model for selling Wikipedia.
2009/12/27 Anthony wikimail@inbox.org:
If people can bottles of water for nearly $1/liter, I'm sure there's a business model for selling Wikipedia.
While you cannot effectively charge for the content, you can certainly charge for the convenience of accessing it. Istvan doesn't say how he intends to distribute the extracts. If they are available in some way that is more convenient (to some people, at least) than the internet, then there might be a business model there. These people seem to be making money out of Wikipedia: http://thewikireader.com/
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 3:34 PM, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com wrote:
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen?
You have to specify the license (CC-BY-SA) of the material.
Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases?
No, although it will of course be appreciated if you do so on a voluntary basis.
Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product?
No, there is the so-called virality of the license: You are allowed to make derivative works or different versions of the product, but they must also fall under the same license. You have to grant others the same rights to your product that you have to Wikipedia material.
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 8:34 AM, Istvan Soos istvan.soos@gmail.com wrote:
I'm evaluating our legal options around commercially using wikipedia content, if this is not the right forum, please let me know / forward the question. It might be that the method I describe is not legally possible, so if there is any similar situation that does or does not work, please let me know either. I'd like to play safe in this field and avoid potential issues.
For the sake of example we would like to automatically convert the page content to a different text and different format (e.g. automatically create text extracts and compile it into a pdf document) and sell it as part of a subscription service or even better as a standalone product. We include all the attributions / links wherever possible, and mark that the source of the product is Wikipedia. What else are we required to do before the sell can happen? Is there any fee or percentage that shall go back to mediawiki foundation in such cases? Can we restrict the copy or re-distribution of such product? For the later, I suppose there is nothing we can do, however this seems to ruin the whole business model, doesn't it?
Hi Istvan,
Others have already replied with answers to your specific questions, but for a more detailed overview of Wikipedia's licensing terms, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights and associated pages. (This is an English Wikipedia page, but the information generally applies to other languages as well.)
Austin
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