[Wikipedia-l] Re: [Wikitech-l] Re: Contributors list

[Anthony DiPierro]

Michael Snow wrote:

> Section 4B allows the authors to release you from the requirement to 
> identify five principal authors. Since the title of the article 
> functions as the Title Page for GFDL purposes, and because we have 
> never, as far as I know, identified principal authors along with the 
> title of the article, I would argue that the release applies. Given 
> our existing practices, we should take the position that all 
> contributors have implicitly released us from the requirement to list 
> authors on the Title Page. This would also neatly eliminate the 
> problem of how to identify "principal authors". 

I think that's fine, but I presume that the implicit release only 
applies to Wikipedia.  That's a problem, because Wikipedia is supposed 
to be a free encyclopedia.  Requiring creators of derivatives to 
identify and list 5 of the principal authors on the "title page" while 
Wikipedia itself doesn't even list them in a convenient form anywhere is 
not consistent with this goal of freedom.

It should also be noted that not all content on Wikipedia was submitted 
to Wikipedia by the author.  Some of it was copied from a site which 
released it under the GFDL.  Yes, this problem is limited in scope, but 
it is there.

Anthony