[Foundation-l] Clearing up Wikimedia's media licensing policies

[Kat Walsh]

On 2/8/07, Claudio Mastroianni <gattonero at gmail.com> wrote:

> Nice. As far as I've understood, Board decided so:
>
> "With permission? Not admitted.
> Fair use? Ehr... it could be... maybe... it depends... Oh, ok,
> admitted."
>
> Maybe I've understood wrong? Cause if you say that media with
> permission "need to be phased out" (with no expection) and fair use
> media *should* not be used... It seems so.
>
> And I'm sorry to say that again: the italian community is the only
> one to be affected by this decision, 'cause nothing will change for
> en.wiki.
> Here again, Foundation is en.centric...
>
> Nice and very fair, again.
> I'll inform my community.
>
> Claudio / Gatto Nero

While this is a position you have held before and I don't think I will
be able to convince you otherwise, I'd like to clarify that this is
absolutely not the case.

1) This is as much to clear it up for en: as any of the number of
other communities we've become aware of over the past several months
that had a different idea of what is and is not allowed. (You may be
interested to know that much of enwiki is upset also!)

2) You are welcome to use fair use if your community decides based on
legal and editorial considerations to allow it. I do not know the laws
of Italy, so I cannot say; surely someone who does know them better
can.

(Unfortunately if it is not the case that you can use it, it is the
laws of Italy and not the policy of WMF that you should be taking
issue with. It seems that it may not be so strictly against it as you
are thinking, but I will leave this to others who are more
knowledgeable about them.)

-Kat


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