GIF is in itself a copyrighted, or rather a patented, file format. Therefore it is just as legally problematic to upload GIF images to the Wikipedia without permission from the patent-holder as it is to upload any other form of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright-holder.
If we aren't allowing other forms of copyright material, why are we allowing GIF materials ? I strongly recommend that we don't in order to reduce Wikipedia's exposure to possible legal problems.
Cheers
Derek
----- Original Message ----- From: lcrocker@nupedia.com To: wikipedia-l@nupedia.com Sent: Sunday, June 09, 2002 6:27 AM Subject: Re: [Wikipedia-l] file uploads
I redid this whole area from scratch in the new codebase. Let me know if my changes address your concerns. It allows deletion of files, revision histories, lists what pages link to which images (the database is a bit out-of date on that--but the features work in the software). Currently it warns about, but does not restrict, the uploading of files other than PNG, JPEG, and GIF. I can easily be talked into eliminating GIF from that list and adding OGG, and we might want to add a feature for being able to include sounds, especially for things like pronunciations of words.
As always, I welcome bug reports and suggestions.