[WikiEN-l] Images on user pages

[Michael Turley]

On 9/14/05, Daniel Mayer <maveric149 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Forbidding such images for no practical reason smacks of fascism to me. So once
> the technical issue I mentioned is fixed, I see no valid reason for us to not
> be more permissive on image licensing in the user namespace (within the limits
> of WP:NOT a personal web page provider)
> 
> -- mav

Practical reason #1: The submit button and accompanying text referring
to the licensing of submissions are identical.  We'll have to change
those.  #2: Inertia and lack of differentiation between user space and
the rest of Wikipedia.  People already expect to be able to take items
from all of Wikipedia under GFDL license.  #3: License hell as
described in the next paragraph.

If we make an arbitrary exception, I think it could ONLY apply from
whatever point we choose going forward.  Current content has already
been submitted under the old terms.  Deletion of previous content is
really just a courtesy to whoever requests it, as mirrors already have
the previous content.  If the original owners / authors /
photographers submitted it, they've already granted the license.  If
they weren't the original owner / author / photographer, then we
delete since if the submitter couldn't legally grant the license
agreed upon submission.

This all seems like a lot of work and fuss to avoid telling someone to
host the information they don't want to license on any of a vast
number of free webhosts.  We don't have to be nasty about enforcing
our policy, but since mirrors exist, it is probably a good idea to
reaffirm what people have agreed to upon submission and strongly
suggest that they have their content removed if that license was not
their intent.
-- 
Michael Turley
User:Unfocused