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(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/02/07, Rich Holton <richholton(a)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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