This discussion has forgotten about one of the traditional media that work very well with computer based systems: drawing. A public figure can try to prevent himself from being photographed except under terms he dictates, but he can not (at least in the US) prevent an artist from drawing or painting him based on whatever images are available, in any way the artist may please, fair or unfair, characteristic or satyrical, and publishing it as desired--as long as it is not an actual reproduction of the original.
Similarly for technical subjects. If i should see an object, I can draw it from memory. If it should be described to me, I can draw it based on the description. I can't use it to pass off a copy as the original, but otherwise the image is my own property , and if i should want to put it into the public domain, the subject or owner has no recourse. Among the publications making effective use of this technique is the New Yorker. Many nonfiction books are therefore illustrated by drawings, and so can parts of WP.
This does not hold for every possible circumstance--there remains a right of private figures to privacy. In Europe, there are I believe some further restrictions. Governments can seek to prohibit verbal or visual descriptions of whatever they may choose. There is obscenity in drawing as well as in photographs--as cartoons make obvious.
But there is a very wide range here, at WP so far makes use of very little of it.-DGG
On 2/9/07, Brianna Laugher brianna.laugher@gmail.com wrote:
On 10/02/07, Rich Holton richholton@gmail.com wrote:
Brad Patrick wrote:
Be creative. Celebrities are people too, and they love Wikipedia. Have you tried asking them for a free image?
Right. It's very possible that, with the continuing growth of Wikipedia, any up-and-coming celebrity would be eager to have a free image shown.
Maybe we should start using some sort of place-holder image for living people without free images. It could show a typical generic shadow bust, with "No free image available" written in bold letters.
That's a fantastic idea that I can't believe we haven't done already. Hopefully it might also reduce the dodgy copyrighted images that get uploaded for image-free biographies, too.
Go forth! http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:No_free_image_man_%28en%29.svg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:No_free_image_woman_%28en%29.svg
cheers, Brianna user:pfctdayelise
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