[WikiEN-l] Copyright question

[AvB]

Just a few observations offered for consideration; probably superfluous for
most editors here but possibly helpful for some:

Form is subject to copyright, ideas or information are not (for the
protection of information itself, look at patents, UK's OSA, etc.)
(See [[WP:Copyright]], [[Copyright]] and [[Idea-expression divide]])

Regarding the copyvio aspect in this discussion:

Copyright is about *form*. When WP contains the same expression of the
same information provided by a copyrighted source, it's a copyvio.
Ultimately this is decided in lawsuits etc. and such precedents provide
useful guidance. But only in the more outlandish cases do we *need* the
such guidance to decide what consitutes a sufficiently different form.
Guy deems this case outlandish enough to ask for a precedent.
If I understand him correctly, his personal opinion is that it's a copyvio
because the form is not sufficiently different.

Regarding the OR aspect:

Original research is about *information*. When WP contains more or
different information than can be found in reliable sources, it's OR.
According to a number of editors, to escape being OR, information
found in reliable primary sources also has to be mentioned in one
or more reliable secondary sources.
Guy seems to be arguing the list may be OR in view of the latter criterion.

AvB