--- Justin Cormack justin@specialbusservice.com wrote:
I dont think crown copyright images should be in templates either. Anything in template space should be free.
The legal position is clear. CC images can be used in any medium or format once the legal conditions, which cover things like accuracy and acknowledgement, are covered. So once one doesn't disrepect the image by using them in a POV manner (eg, creating a "War mongering bastards" template and put a CC image of Blair in, or create a 'murderers of Diana" template and put the Prince of Wales in it), and the image when one enters it contains all required info (an acknowledgment that it is CC, etc) then its usage is fully legal under the relevant legislation. WP's legal interpretation of the law on fairuse for templates is questionable.
CC is an open and shut case. Once the legal requirements of CC are met (and in templates they are dead easy to meet, because one is creating a template heading so one can ensure it avoids POV) CC images are OK for templates. So one can, for example, create a template for UK prime ministers in the 20th century and legally use CC images once they are of PMs from the UK in the timespan covered, and the images have the required info in the files when one hits the images. One would only be breaching CC if the image was not of a PM from the UK in the 20th century in that case (which would fall foul of our own accuracy rules anyway), if the template was POV (which would break our own NPOV rules) or if it wasn't recorded as a CC image, which also would break our rules. If we follow OUR own rules, CC images are covered totally for such usage.
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