[WikiEN-l] The principle of fair use

[Jimmy O'Regan]

Anthere wrote:

>--- Julie Kemp <juleskemp at yahoo.com> wrote:
>  
>
>>Jens said:
>>
>>But I can't understand why this
>>
>>    
>>
>http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image%3A843-870_Europe.jpg
>  
>
>>is fair use. The map has been created for an
>>encyclopedia
>>or an history textbook. If this is fair use, is
>>there any
>>picture we may not use?
>>
>>I reply -- 
>>
>>This is actually interesting -- when DW (or Elliot)
>>put this up many
>>months ago, I asked for a reference.  I claimed then
>>that this map was
>>likely not in fair use.  My reasoning was as
>>follows:  When I was
>>finishing my thesis in 2000, I was desperate for
>>maps.  I found this
>>map, along with a couple others that this person put
>>up, at the UW
>>library.  I didn't have time to write for
>>permission, and checked the
>>copyright with the librarians, who said I could only
>>use it under fair
>>use if I altered the image dramatically, because it
>>was still under
>>copyright.  Unfortunately, I can't tell you the
>>source -- I had a couple
>>maps copied, traced the parts I needed (the
>>coastlines and rivers) by
>>hand, scanned them, and labeled them as necessary. 
>>Anyway, I think we
>>shouldn't use any images unless we can definitively
>>say where they're
>>from -- from what the librarian at my present
>>college says, one still
>>has to credit image sources for fair use, or it
>>isn't fair use.
>>
>>Julie
>>    
>>
>
>Agreed. Wikipedia should have its own mapping system.
>Where I could put ecoregions too :-)
>
>Which could be discussed at http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipediatlas
>
 Just, so people know, [[Bruce Perens]] has a complete street map of the 
United States on his ftp server 
(ftp://ftp.perens.com/pub/US-map/tiger2k), which is also available from 
the US Census site here (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tiger2k/). 
AFAIR, it's not covered by copyright, having been created by the US 
Government, though I can look for the original announcement if required. 
So, no help for Europe, but could be useful for someone else.