Commons:Help desk

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This help desk is a forum for questions and help on How to use Commons Anyone, from newbie to experienced, can ask a question here. Questions will be replied to here as well. Any answers you receive are not legal advice and the responder cannot be held liable for them. Please sign your question by typing four tildes (~~~~). In order to get quick answers consider the following points: Have you checked the frequently asked questions, help pages and the help desk archive? For help with the Picture of the Year 2016 contest, please use the POTY help desk For licensing and copyright issues, please use the copyright village pump For proposing changes to the way Wikimedia Commons works, please use the proposals village pump For community-wide discussions, please use the main village pump For changing the name of a file, please see our file renaming guidelines For matters requiring the attention of an administrator, please use the administrators' noticeboard or contact an individual administrator directly For questions not related to this website, try English Wikipedia's reference desk Resolved sections (marked by {{section resolved|1=~~~~}}) will be archived after four days. Sections with no discussion will be archived after ten days. Click here to ask your question about using Commons or For quicker help, join our live chat room.

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Commons discussion pages (index)

Commons Help desk Community-wide general discussion Copyright Proposals Graphics and photography discussion Image improvement Photography critiques Categories for discussion Deletion requests OTRS noticeboard Translators' noticeboard Work requests for bots Contact administrators Vandalism User problems (Dispute resolution) Blocks and protections Bureaucrats' noticeboard CheckUser requests #wikimedia-commons webchat Commons mailing list (archive) Commons' bugs on Phabricator

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Uploading

How do I upload videos and photos from my phone?

The uploads directed me to document and camera whereas the videos and photos are under media files.

Help. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment was added by 197.210.226.102 (talk) 15:50, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

Use of image from an Australian art gallery

Hello I live in England. I am preparing a Wikipedia article on a British Artist (Madeline Green, 1884-1947). One of her works (Glasgow, painted about 1930) is held by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, and the image is displayed on their website. I emailed the Gallery on 17 April 2017:

______________________________________________________________

Hello

As you will see from the attached draft, I am writing a piece about the artist Madeline Green, to expand on the very short entry about her on Wikipedia [1]

Thanks to your colleague Brooke I have a scan of the catalogue entry from your 2007 exhibition “Modern Britain, 1900-1960”, in which Green’s Glasgow was displayed. If possible, I would very much like to include an image of Glasgow [Accession Number   4468-3] in the Wikipedia page. I think it would add considerably to the write-up, especially as I quote from your catalogue about the painting.

Thank you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards John

_______________________

Dr John Carpenter England

_____________________________________________________________

I received a reply today:

Hello John,   Thank you for your request and I apologise for the delayed reply. I’m happy to provide you approval to use the below image in your article. Could you please include the below caption with the reproduction.   Madeline Green Glasgow c. 1930 oil on canvas 53.6 x 43.3 cm National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1931 (4468-3)   Best wishes, Kathleen

Kathleen Burke Publications Assistant National Gallery of Victoria 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne VIC 3004

______________________________________________________

Do I need to ask the Gallery for further authority before I can upload the image?

Your help would be much appreciated.

Jgdc47B (talk) 10:06, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Commons doesn't really need permission from somebody who made a copy of the painting. Her work is already public domain in Australia, but I'm not sure about UK. Since she died in 1947, at worst it would be 1 January 2018. However, Commons also requires it to be public domain in the US, which I think is 95 years from the "publication" date. --ghouston (talk) 11:07, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Given which, you might do better for now to upload it directly to the English-language Wikipedia on a fair use basis. I would also add that, insofar as the NGV may hold any copyright, the above release is useless for Commons: among other things, permission to use the image in a particular article is not equivalent to a free license. - Jmabel ! talk 15:30, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you both. Picking up Jmabel's point, what do I specifically have to do to "upload it directly to the English-language Wikipedia on a fair use basis"? How do I answer the questions when using the upload wizard? Jgdc47B (talk) 18:56, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Uploading on en-wiki has nothing to do with Commons' upload wizard. Use en:Special:Upload. Instead of the {{Information}} template, use en:Template:Non-free use rationale. - Jmabel ! talk 23:41, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

That was a very helpful reply. Thank you! Jgdc47B (talk) 09:33, 1 May 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:53, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

cannot link from commons to French wikipedia (fr:w)

In Wkimedia Commons and "wikimania2017.wikimedia.org", [[:fr:w:Julia Cagé|Cagé]] links to the English-language Wikipedia, not the French. This same markup in Wikiversity links to the French-language Wikipedia.

I discovered this in creating "https://wikimania2017.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/Building_Wikinews_into_the_premier_news_site_worldwide".

I thought someone might want to know. DavidMCEddy (talk) 01:43, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

fr:Julia Cagé and w:fr:Julia Cagé both work. According to en:Help:Interwikimedia links, fr:w:Julia Cagé should work as well, but it doesn't. As far as I know, that's been the case for a long time. —LX (talk, contribs) 09:01, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Thanks. Fixed, per your suggestion. (Thanks also to the link to en:Help:Interwikimedia links: I have trouble remembering how to find that.) DavidMCEddy (talk) 13:00, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:51, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

unblock request

Please unblock any administrator . this user hrd2 Uvw10 12:33, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

•  Not done - Uvw10 is a sock of hrd2. Эlcobbola _talk 14:52, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:50, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Username Change.

Resolved

I need to edit my name. I have found no way to do that. Do I have to make another account to change my name from Mike to Michael? Or can I edit it and still keep this account?

Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by MikeJiroch (talk • contribs) 00:58, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

• Hi MikeJiroch, You need to go to Commons:Username_policy#Changing_your_username, Read the information and then follow the links, Thanks, –Davey2010^Talk 01:27, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

• User has since gone to Meta and has been renamed to Mr.Michael Jiroch, Thanks, –Davey2010^Talk 17:06, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:49, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

World War I soldier

Hi, guys. I've done some categorization on Commons, but this is the first time I'm creating a category for a soldier: Category:Béla Békéssy. Could someone check if the super-categories I've added make sense, and if I need anything more? I just don't want the page to be unnoticed because of my autopatrol bit. Thanks in advance. – b_jonas 15:31, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

It looks fine. -- Asclepias (talk) 16:47, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

Thank you, Asclepias and Lotje. – b_jonas 18:39, 29 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:48, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Mystery message from bot, and longstanding unprocessed OTRS emails

I'd appreciate help with both of these:

• (a) I have no idea what the bot is complaining about here [2]. How is {{Cc-by-sa-4.0}}, which is right there on the description page, "not a license"???
• (b) I'm really getting nervous about this [3].

EEng (talk) 02:54, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: Those emails in (b) have been received and are in queue. Please understand that the current backlog of the (English) permissions-commons queue is 53 days.   — Jeff G. ツ 03:22, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

OK, thanks, that's fine. What troubled me is that other permissions emails that I know were sent later were processed long ago. Now, what about (a)? What's the issue there? EEng (talk) 03:43, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

The bot was complaining about the first version [4], which didn't have a license template. --ghouston (talk) 04:48, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

Um, would you be surprised if I said that was a completely useless thing for it to do? EEng (talk) 05:46, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

Only with hindsight. It didn't know you were going to add a license two minutes later. --ghouston (talk) 05:56, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: If at first you don't add a license, that bot's going to get you.   — Jeff G. ツ 07:55, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

• Wait a second. I have to apologize to everyone. I come to Commons so seldom, and when the Notifications thingamajig said "Mifterbot left a message on your talk page", I didn't realize that was 19 days ago. I thought it was today. EEng (talk) 08:05, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. Case solved then. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:48, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Contribution

I have submitted a new entry for Magdalene Harriet May Capes, which doesn't seem to be available?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ian Burns (talk • contribs) 07:22, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

@Ian Burns: It is at en:Draft:Magdalene Harriet May Capes on English Wikipedia.   — Jeff G. ツ 07:50, 30 April 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:45, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Cannot upload SVG files that contain a non-standard DTD declaration

I just downloaded File:Atranes.svg and made some manual adjustments in a text editor. When trying to upload it, I got this error message. The DTD declaration in the file is:

<!DOCTYPE svg PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD SVG 1.0//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG/DTD/svg10.dtd">

which I double-checked that I did not alter. I don't know much about the technical details of the SVG headers, but apparently something that used to be allowed now isn't. What do I need to change to make this file acceptable now? DMacks (talk) 03:49, 1 May 2017 (UTC)

May be version 1.0 is not supported? Ruslik (talk) 19:45, 1 May 2017 (UTC)

Try testing it with Commons:Commons SVG Checker and see if it throws any errors. I just downloaded the original file and tried uploading it without any modifications at File:Test.svg and it gave me the same non-standard DTD declaration warning. Uploading at the W3 validator advised me to change the doctype declaration to:

<!DOCTYPE svg PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD SVG 1.0//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-SVG-20010904/DTD/svg10.dtd">

It should upload after that. clpo13_(talk) 21:46, 1 May 2017 (UTC)

Yup. Thanks! DMacks (talk) 13:03, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

help me

How to create a page on commons? can I upload a media file direct to a page? Please answer me anyone.--Zoc2 (talk) 04:06, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

@Zoc2: The mainspace pages here at Wikimedia Commons are galleries, they have their own style, unlike the styles of other projects like English Wikipedia. You already uploaded a media file, but it was out of scope. What are you trying to do here?   — Jeff G. ツ 06:01, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

Upload Wizard disappear in Ukrainian localization

Hi. While I open Main Page with English I Upload link in left toolbar point to Special:UploadWizard. While I open it with Ukrainian language I see here link to Commons:Upload/uk. I have no idea where it could be fixed and how localization works here. Please look it who know where it could be tuned. Artem.komisarenko (talk) 06:30, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

So, it looks like it's broken for me from time to time because network issue(?). By default page show Commons:Upload/uk then fix it with javascript and sometimes this javascript failed or hangs. Artem.komisarenko (talk) 06:53, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding Campoalto.png

Greetings,

I'm trying to create an article related to a school in Asuncion, Paraguay (Campoalto School). The school's seal is publicly known, as they show it in adverts and public information (website: http://campoalto.edu.py/). Is it against intellectual property rights to use a school's seal for an Wikipedia article?

Thanks in advance.

--Regopy (talk) 23:11, 2 May 2017 (UTC)

• When I try clicking on http://campoalto.edu.py/, it seems to go into some sort of loading mode, and 30 seconds later it's not out of that, so I won't be able to see the logo there.
• You don't ask if it is OK to upload to Wikimedia Commons, but since that is the site where you are asking the question, I assume that is implicit. Without seeing the logo it is hard to say definitively, but quite probably it is not OK to upload the logo here. "Publicly known" has nothing to do with the matter: you have provided no reason to think the logo is in the public domain, so we would need a free license from the copyright holder, which we are unlikely to get.
• You ask about using the logo in a Wikipedia article; you don't say in what language. Each language Wikipedia has its own rules about non-free use. If you are talking about the English-language Wikipedia (since that is the language in which you pose the question) you can upload with en:Special:Upload. Instead of the {{Information}} template, use en:Template:Non-free use rationale or another more specific template from that Wikipedia related to logos. - Jmabel ! talk 00:30, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

Privacy concerns?

I just came across the photo File:Mock Court at Kidzania Bangkok.jpg, and ... well, do we have a policy on photos like this?

I don't see anywhere in the image description where the uploader indicates he/she got permission from the parents of the children whose faces are clearly visible/identifiable in the image to upload it to Wikimedia Commons, and whenever I have uploaded my own photos I recall being asked questions about copyright and licensing, but not whether my photos depicted private individuals who had not directly consented to me uploading (or maybe even taking) their picture. I don't know what the laws in Thailand (where the picture was taken) or the US (where the Foundation is based and by whose laws English Wikipedia typically abides) are, but in Japan (my gaff) if I visit a venue where there are kids, I need permission even to take photos for private use (I know this because I used to work in a government office where I visited local nursery schools; my office expected me to take photos for internal records, and the schools had a lot of red tape when it came to that), and uploading is definitely out of the question. I know it's a private entertainment facility and not a school, but still...

I guess my concern would apply more broadly to any photo of a public place where people's faces are clearly visible but they didn't necessarily give their permission to be photographed, or any private venue where the owners restrict photography. Technically in either of these cases, an uploader could violate a whole bunch of private agreements and serious ethical guidelines, but not necessarily be in violation of Commons's copyright restrictions.

Has this kind of issue been discussed before? Am I just being an ethical stickler?

Hijiri88 (talk) 07:45, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

Hijiri88: Not only has it been discussed before – we have guidelines in place: Commons:Photographs of identifiable people. Unfortunately, we're missing information on the legal situation in Thailand. —LX (talk, contribs) 16:46, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

It is a mock court and it was likely intended to be public as any theatrical performance. Ruslik (talk) 20:56, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

Завантаження фотографій на Вікі любить пам'ятки/Дніпропетровська область/Покров

Доброго дня! Скажіть, будь ласка,чому фотографії, завантажені мною,не відображаються у списку пам'яток Дніпропетровської області. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SmyslovaLarisa (talk • contribs) 11:14, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

• Could you be more specific about what photos (link the file page of at least one example) and what list? - Jmabel ! talk 14:59, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

Theater tickets

Can I upload an image file of a theater ticket from a musical play in 1984 in Canada? I am unsure on the copyright laws of a ticket image. Keneckert (talk) 13:44, 3 May 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Keneckert (talk • contribs) 13:18, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

• If it's just simple typography, yes. If it has pictures, the issue might be more complicated. - Jmabel ! talk 14:57, 3 May 2017 (UTC)

معلومات حول كيفية رفع الملفات

مرحبا.من فضلكم اريد معرفة انواع الملفات المسموح برفعها — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ninoprine (talk • contribs) 09:28, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

Preview button missing from file-upload

At Special:Upload (the "old" upload form), there used to be a preview button for the File description. I went to upload a file just now, and it seems to be missing. Anyone know where it went? DMacks (talk) 13:38, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

Factitious Characters

I made up a character and want to make a Wiki page for him. Am I allowed to do this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by ThePhiladelphian (talk • contribs) 15:03, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

That sounds completely outside of Commons' project scope. —LX (talk, contribs) 18:27, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

Please do that on the English Wikipedia, not here. Note though that your character must be notable enough to have an article in Wikipedia, otherwise it won't be going anywhere of the Wikimedia wikis. Thanks, ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:43, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. ★ Poké⁹⁵ 13:43, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding File:North Carolina's 12th congressional district post Feb 2016.png

What is the right tag for this image? It's public domain, see wikipedia:Copyright_status_of_work_by_U.S._subnational_governments#North_Carolina but I don't know what tag is appropriate for that --Lordgilman (talk) 16:40, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

• @Lordgilman: {{PD-SLNC}}. - Jmabel ! talk 19:57, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

upload a file

hi, i wanna know how to upload or create a page in wikipedia, if I try to upload it in word or .txt the system won't allow it — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fernanda.profectus (talk • contribs) 18:36, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

You are not on Wikipedia right now. If you look at the address bar of your browser (a good habit to get into to avoid falling victim to phishing), you'll notice that you're on Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free, educational media files used by Wikipedia, other Wikimedia projects, and others.

You don't upload pages to Wikipedia, you create them directly on that site by editing the wiki markup. For the English language edition of Wikipedia, see en:Wikipedia:Your first article. —LX (talk, contribs) 18:41, 4 May 2017 (UTC)

uploading an image

Hi, I was editing the wiki page for resilin, and needed to upload an image. I drew a picture of resilin's mechanism of action using google drawing. It is entirely my own work, but wiki wouldn't left me upload it, because it cannot verify if the image is my own work. What should I do? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by MTLE4470 grp10 yd (talk • contribs) 00:03, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

• What tool were you using to upload (were you uploading cross-wiki from Wikipedia, or directly to Commons with the Upload Wizard, or something else)? What type of file (e.g. SVG, JPG)? If it was a raster file (rather than a vector format like SVG) what were the dimensions? Exactly what error/warning did it give you, at what point in the process? - Jmabel ! talk 00:31, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

  Looking at the filter log will answer most of those questions. —LX (talk, contribs) 13:03, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

  • Ah, cross-wiki upload for small JPGs. @MTLE4470 grp10 yd: I believe that if you come over to Commons and try to upload them directly it should work. - Jmabel ! talk 15:10, 5 May 2017 (UTC)
• I see that a very similarly named account (User:MTLE4470 grp10 ss) uploaded File:The Different Amino Acid Composition of Resilin.png. Was that you or someone else? In either event, it really ought to have at least one category added, probably more. - Jmabel ! talk 00:38, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam/The Man Who Saved The World

I am wondering if I can upload a Turkish film known as Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam. I am not sure if I can upload it; it has no copyright seen, BUT has a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported licence (license). I just want to double check if I am ALLOWED to upload the file. Nine-Tailed Kitsune (talk) 17:32, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

See Commons:Licensing and Commons:Creative Commons copyright tags. So - no, you aren't. --Magnus (talk) 17:49, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

More specifically, we don't allow a ban on either commercial use or derivatives. - Jmabel ! talk 23:44, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Can I add a screenshot of a graphics algorithm I coded working for a company on an open source project?

Greetings,

I wrote some code on shadow-mapping for Google's open-source graphics engine Skia this summer as part of my summer internship for them.

Technically, all the work I produced that summer belongs to Google - however, in a sense it is my work - but at the same time, producing it required using another separate library - but that library is open source!

Is there a clear answer to this? Should I try to contact Google for clarification?

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by VjiaoBlack (talk • contribs) 19:07, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

• The copyright question is between you and Google, and without seeing your employment contract I couldn't say who owns the copyright. Doesn't the source file itself say who holds the copyright? If the code has been published without stating that that's quite an oversight. - Jmabel ! talk 23:46, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

If I may trouble my esteemed fellow editors for a moment...

Can an admin who isn't afraid to explain his thinking please give me an answer here [5]. I'm sorry that thread is so long, but it's that way because I keep getting dodges instead of an answer to my question. EEng (talk) 20:57, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Speaking as a random admin: what they seem to be saying is that the ownership of copyright may be unclear, and therefore (based on the precautionary principle) we have to say "no", unless and until that can be clarified. - Jmabel ! talk 23:54, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Yes, but why? Did you read my question? Why is this being questioned any more than hundreds of identical releases accepted every day? EEng (talk) 00:07, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: The short answer is that we respect copyrights, and if the photographer shows up, we and our reusers don't want to get sued for copyright infringement.   — Jeff G. ツ 07:04, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

You know, this is really getting to be comic. I don't need any explanations about how copyrights work, or the need to respect them, as in my professional life I'm a consulting expert on intellectual property. The question, which I am now asking for the fifth or sixth time, is this:

Why is this PARTICULAR release, which is exactly the standard release text supplied by Commons itself for content donors to use, being questioned? How is the fact situation here any different from that attendant to hundreds of others which arise each day, which are not questioned?

I don't want the short answer, the quick answer, the simple answer, the high-handed this-is-what-I-can-offer-you answer, or the I-didn't-read-the-thread-so-I-don't-know-what-the-issue-is-but-I'll-just-add-my-two-cents-anyway answer; I want the answer to that question. Now, can you or anybody else give me that? And, as I expect I know what the (illogical) answer I receive will be, will you (or whoever else has the courtesy, at long last, to intelligently engage this issue) stay with the conversation long enough to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion, instead of just falling silent when you can't figure out what to say? EEng (talk) 07:23, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: He is the subject of a photo taken from some distance. The odds that he took the photo were rather slim in the late 60s.   — Jeff G. ツ 07:31, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

OK, great. Now, what exactly does that have to do with it, since the donor/subject isn't claiming that he took it, merely that he owns it? EEng (talk) 07:36, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: We need to attribute the photo to the photographer per every CC license with a BY section (all but CC-0). If we suspect a copyright was transferred, we need a good answer as to how that happened, stored in our files in case of litigation and for peer review. We don't have even a whiff of an answer to that yet on a user talk page, let alone in our files, and so we wait.   — Jeff G. ツ 07:52, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

No, what the license [6] requires is that licensees retain the following if it is supplied by the Licensor with the Licensed Material: (i) identification of the creator(s) of the Licensed Material ... (italics added).

As to If we suspect a copyright was transferred, we need a good answer as to how that happened, that's certainly not a legal requirement, since you're entitled to rely in good faith on the facts affirmed in the release received. If that's nonetheless a procedural practice of Commons, can you explain why there's nothing at Commons:Email_templates saying so? EEng (talk) 08:13, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: I don't know, I didn't write those documents, but I have to go, sorry.   — Jeff G. ツ 08:31, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

I guess we've arrived at the part where, as predicted, you'd fall silent when you can't figure out what to say. You didn't write the documents – fine. But you must have got the idea that If we suspect a copyright was transferred, we need a good answer as to how that happened from somewhere. Can you point to that, so I'll know that this Kafkaesque odyssey has, after all, some rational basis? EEng (talk) 08:39, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

Wait, don't worry about it. I believe Yann will be able to answer my questions. EEng (talk) 09:07, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: (ec) It is a bit difficult to accept a permission when the author is unknown. Personally I would accept it if the client provides a reasonable rationale why he owns the copyright. Regards, Yann (talk) 07:55, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

It's not at all strange that the creator of an image taken fifty years ago might be unknown, and there are nonetheless any number of ways by which copyright might nonetheless be owned by someone other than the creator. (It could have been a work for hire; it could have been owned by Harvard but transferred to the subject for use in his published papers; maybe his mother took it and he inherited it from her...) But we come back to the question I've asked now, a half-dozen times, which is that if you're not willing to accept the content donor's affirmation of ownership on its face, why in hell do you supply release text for them to use that asserts exactly that, without anything anywhere to indicate that you won't accept it? EEng (talk) 08:13, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: I do usually accept the content donor's affirmation of ownership on its face unless there is an indication it is false. But we very often have OTRS clients and contributors who do not understand how copyright works, and who think that the picture owner or the subject is the copyright owner, which is false. Some others think that the copyright disappeared because the photographer is unknown. That's why an indication that the client knows that is required. Regards, Yann (talk) 08:42, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

┌─────────────────────────────────┘
Yann, I really appreciate your taking the time to give me answers which are at least logical and self-consistent – a novelty in my conversations on this problem so far. I always figured this was the heart of the problem, but since I couldn't get anyone, until you, to stay with the conversation long enough to get to this point, I've never been able to address it. I'd like to ask you to do two things:

(a) That you consider, in considering the disposition of this image, whether you believe can assume that the content donor issuing the release (who among other things is the author of [7]) probably does understand the meaning of the release he issued? I'd appreciate it if you could spare me the embarrassment of going back to him and saying, "Prove to me you own it."

(b) That you and I work together to modify two or three of the instruction pages here at Commons to avoid problems like this for content donors in the future.

EEng (talk) 09:07, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: a) You would be surprised to know who claims what about copyright. Even famous people, or official representatives of big corporations claim things which do not exist. Here the additional issue is that the image is old, and it is quite possible that nobody remembers who took the picture, but not old enough so that the copyright has expired. The difficult task for OTRS volunteers to be diplomatic when requesting more information, or declining invalid claims. At the very least, the client needs to say who has to be credited as copyright owner. "I don't know", "nobody", or "I don't remember" can't be valid answers.

b) Contrary to what most people think, copyright is a very complex matter, and it is quite challenging to explain it for non professionals. I am not a lawyer nor a native English speaker, but our instructions could certainly be improved. Regards, Yann (talk) 10:05, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

Again, Yann, I appreciate the time that you're taking the time to discuss this intelligently, but now I'm puzzled again. You say that "the client" (by which I assume you mean the person issuing the release) "needs to say who has to be credited as copyright owner". He's already told you who the copyright owner is: himself. EEng (talk) 15:48, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: File:HarryRLewis Harvard demonstrating SHAPESHIFTER 1967or1968.jpg says that the author is "unknown". Regards, Yann (talk) 16:33, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

What does that have to do with anything? Per the documentation at Template:Information, the Author is the "Original author of the file"; that person is unknown. The author is distinct from the copyright owner, and that is not unknown: it's in the release. EEng (talk) 17:07, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

That is the whole point of what I say above. If the author is unknown, it can't be released under a free license. Regards, Yann (talk) 17:18, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

What??? You just said, "At the very least, the client needs to say who has to be credited as copyright owner." Now you're saying the author needs to be known. The Author has nothing to do with it, and (as already pointed out above) the license explicitly contemplates that the author might be unknown. Can you, please, point to something in writing that sets out the rules and requirements, so we can resolve this? We're going round and round in circles. EEng (talk) 17:24, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

I am also a bit tired to repeat the same thing. Evidence shows that the uploader doesn't know or remember who took his picture, but claims to be the copyright owner. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Regards, Yann (talk) 18:49, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

@EEng: With all due respect, you came here asking for comment by admins. Several of us have answered you, all of us are basically in agreement with each other, and you keep just arguing with us. It seems to me like you are wanting to keep fishing until you can find an admin who will take your side, but given the number of us who have spoken up here and in the original discussion, it is pretty clear that if you can find such a person, they will be a lone voice disagreeing with a pretty broad consensus that the authorship of the photo is unclear, and the claim of ownership of copyright strikes us as weakly founded, however prestigious the person making it. Why is it so important that this particular image be on Commons? We aren't telling you you can't use it elsewhere and take your own chances. We are saying that we don't see the copyright claim as solid enough, at least on the basis of evidence provided so far, for us in our administrative capacities on Commons to be comfortable with having Commons effectively endorse the claim. - Jmabel ! talk 19:03, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

It seems to me like you are wanting to keep fishing until you can find an admin who will take your side. No. What I wanted, at first, was someone who could explain coherently what the requirement is; even you, now, are saying that the authorship of the photo is unclear – it's not unclear, it's completely unknown, and as I've pointed out over and over, and surely you must know, the author of the work isn't required – the owner is. Since, so far, every participant here seems unable even to distinguish the concept of author from that of copyright owner, I gave up on that, and am now asking for someone to point to the actual requirements written somewhere, so I can just see for myself. Can you do that? You say there's pretty broad consensus, except not one of you can coherently explain what the basis of his/her reasoning is; you just keep jumping from one unsupported statement of requirements to another. It appears there are no actual procedures or standards here, just people making it up as they go along. So, one more time,

where are the rules/concepts/procedures/guiding principles/whatever, that you claim to be adhering to, written down? EEng (talk) 19:08, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

Arbor-treeish break

@EEng: "A license can only be granted by the copyright holder, which is usually the author (photographer, painter or similar)" at Commons:Licensing#Acceptable_licenses, combined with Commons:Project scope/Precautionary principle. Also, if you truly have access to the original photographic negative or a positive print from the first printing, why upload such a dark low-resolution representation of it?   — Jeff G. ツ 20:05, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

I'll get to the two links you provided in a second, but first, what in the world are you talking about re if you truly have access to the original photographic photographic negative or positive print and so on? I never said anything like that, and what in the world does that have to do with anything? I obtained the image from http://catchthewave.seas.harvard.edu/ (where, as I've pointed out several times now, it's labeled 'COURTESY OF HARRY LEWIS'.) EEng (talk) 20:18, 6 May 2017 (UTC)

• This matter has been resolved via another route. In future I'll make all my non-PD uploads to Wikipedia. EEng (talk) 02:31, 8 May 2017 (UTC)

Why can't I edit pages?

This was the only place that I could ask this question. The reason is self-explanatory. I CAN'T EDIT PAGES!!! Why is this?? Is it because I am a new user? If so, how long until I can edit pages? What is going on? FYI, I use the iOS version. Is this why? What should I do? X4nMan20Oo (talk) 13:26, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

I especially cannot edit pages that I created. What is happening? X4nMan20Oo (talk) 13:33, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

• Just to be clear: are you talking about not being able to edit Wikimedia Commons (this site) or something else? Because if you can edit this, you should be able to edit any non-protected page on Commons. Are you saying you can't edit (for example) your own user page or a page for a file you uploaded? Because these are the only sort of pages you've created on this site. - Jmabel ! talk

Yes, to make this clear, I AM talking about Wikimedia Commons. In regards to my question, it might've been the Internet server I was using at the time. I can edit some pages, but on a lot of them, it gets glitched out. Like, I try to exit the page, but it brings me right back to the editing page. Is this the reason? Or maybe it's just files? Please give me an answer. X4nMan20Oo (talk) 20:40, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

• I doubt the glitch is on Commons' end, because when we have a glitch we usually get a number of similar reports, which hasn't happened here. - Jmabel ! talk 23:42, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

Участие в конкурсе "Вики любит Землю 2017"

Здравствуйте! На сайте было объяснение "Загрузить фотографии по ссылкам из списка (для каждого объекта — своя ссылка)" Я нашла только одну ссылку - Лучший баннер для статей Викигида Где список остальных ссылок? — Preceding unsigned comment added by AEndeko (talk • contribs) 14:18, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Using own work elsewhere

If I upload my own work under my user name can use that same work elsewhere under my own name without attribution to wikimedia? Constant314 (talk) 14:49, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

• Absolutely. But if you upload it somewhere else first and don't indicate a Commons-appropriate license there, then when you upload to Commons you will need to follow COM:OTRS so we know you are not a different person plagiarizing that other site. - Jmabel ! talk 16:07, 7 May 2017 (UTC)

Old magazine page upload

I have an old magazine page published in Israel (then Palestine) in the years 1920-1930. The magazine does not exist anymore. What type of licences do I need? בן הארץ (talk) 12:06, 8 May 2017 (UTC)

• Whether the magazine exists any more is irrelevant (except for making it harder to track down who might currently own rights).
• You might do better to ask this at Commons:Village pump/Copyright; any information you can provide about authorship of any article(s) or image(s) will help a lot, because their death dates will probably be relevant. - Jmabel ! talk 15:25, 8 May 2017 (UTC)

Trying to upload photo to my profile. Photo is uploaded to wikipedia commons. How do i get it to my profile now?

Trying to get my promo photo from Commons to my profile — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jcmair (talk • contribs)

Jcmair, you can insert your upload, File:Jim Mair.jpg, into a page using the syntax [[File:Jim Mair.jpg|thumb|Caption here]]. However, I should warn you that I am nominating that image for deletion, as you claim to be one Jim Mair, presumably the subject, but the image clearly has metadata indicating the copyright belongs to Dan White. While we welcome suitable publicity photos, they must conform to our licensing policy, and that means the copyright holder (not the owner or subject) needs to release them under a free licence. If you do in fact hold copyright, please contact our OTRS team by email, and they will guide you through the licensing process. -mattbuck (Talk) 22:09, 8 May 2017 (UTC)

• Or Dan White can similarly release the image via the OTRS team. - Jmabel ! talk 00:39, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Please delete photo

Hi, I upoaded this photo

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trench_Map_62b.NW_(Bellicourt)_(detail).jpg

in error and it should be deleted because I did not realise that a)it carries a non-commercial licence (which I changed when I shouldn't have) and b)I can't use any non-commercial license image on Wikipedia. I have deleted it from the Wikipedia articles it has been used in already. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Daveleicuk (talk • contribs) 07:15, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• Convenience link: File:Trench Map 62b.NW (Bellicourt) (detail).jpg
• @Daveleicuk: I would think that was quite likely to be public domain. Are you saying that the War Office retains copyright and granted a non-commercial license? - Jmabel ! talk 15:33, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Hi Jmabel,

I find this issue totally confusing. All I know is that the map is a detail from one I downloaded from McMaster and that all their maps have an NC license. I since found this discussion on the web:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/201540-copyright-and-trench-maps/

Dave Daveleicuk (talk) 06:14, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

• @Clindberg: Can you help sort this out? I strongly doubt that McMaster holds the relevant copyright, if any. - Jmabel ! talk 15:31, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

I don't think the annotations rise to the level of copyright. So, the question is if there is still a copyright on the base map. It's obviously {{PD-1923}} for the U.S., and most likely either {{PD-UKGov}} or {{Anonymous-EU}} for the UK, but I can't see the original map to see if the author was identified. The library would not really have a copyright claim -- they may be trying to claim copyright on the scan itself, but Commons:When to use the PD-scan tag is our policy on that. If the user is worried about potentially violating a terms-of-use of the website, or simply wants to respect the library's wishes anyways even if they don't have any actual copyright control over it, we shouldn't force the uploader to have their name on it, but I don't see a reason why it couldn't be re-uploaded by someone else. Carl Lindberg (talk) 21:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Hi,

I'd be very happy to use the file in the article I originally uploaded it for, if it is deemed not to violate Wikipedia usage (and as long as some lawyer isn't going to come looking for me!). McMaster have uploaded very large files of the trench maps in their collection. When they stipulate non-commercial, I presume it is because they don't want anyone to use the very high-resolution files they have generously uploaded, in a commercial operation. I can't see that the file size I've uploaded, which is only a small detail, would be much use commercially in any case and I suppose it is unlikely that McMaster will be too concerned about it. By the way, McMaster do identify the officer who annotated the map and the map can be viewed on their website:

http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo%3A4350/-/collection

Interestingly, I've just realised that they include a link to Wikipedia on this page, so maybe they would be (should be) O.K. about the map being used on W. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Daveleicuk (talk • contribs) 11:42, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Dave Daveleicuk (talk) 11:37, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Copyright help regarding Klaus Rosenfeld.jpg

Hallo, ich wollte gern die Lizenz CC BY-ND 4.0 Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/legalcode.de auswählen. Ich kann sie leider nicht finden.

--Janina Broscheit (talk) 09:07, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Die gibt es nicht, weil die hier nicht erlaubt ist. --Magnus (talk) 09:11, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Updating old and incorrect version of shield

How do I update an old version of a shield with the correct version when I do not have a version with the same filename extension? The old version is .svg and I have a jpg. The specific file I am trying to update is St-Anne's College Oxford Coat Of Arms.svg - it appears on Wikimedia and on Google but it is incorrect.

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Katedavy19 (talk • contribs) 11:31, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• If you think the existing image is incorrect, tag it with {{Fact disputed}}.
• Upload your version under a distinct name (there's no way to overwrite an SVG with a JPG, but this would be the right thing to do, anyway).
• In the articles where it is used, you can replace the old image with your new one, but no guarantee that everyone agrees with you and considers that an improvement! - Jmabel ! talk 15:37, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Page on Gary Denniss

I loaded a photograph for this page, but the name I gave it is not appropriate for the page. I called it "photograph of the subject of the page". It should be called "Gary Denniss at Langford Cemetery, May, 2017". How can I change it? Katsheron (talk) 11:55, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• It looks like someone has already moved it to File:Gary Denniss.png (with a redirect); not ideal, but accurate enough that another rename would not be in order. - Jmabel ! talk 15:40, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Resolved

I think that this question was replied to adequately based on the supplied information. If you have anything to add or a follow-up question please feel free to replace this box with your comment. This section will be archived after four days. Jmabel ! talk 15:40, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Who clicked the picture !

Do i have to upload photos from my own camera or with some ones else(informative pictures only ) with out claiming my own ? and still get the reward according to my numbers of picture uploaded ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Neupanegaurav (talk • contribs) 16:00, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

You may upload photos that you have created yourself as well as content created by others as long as it is within Commons' project scope and you're willing to publish it under a free license or release it into the public domain. You may only upload content created by others if the copyright holder has agreed to publication under a free license or if the content is not protected by copyright.

Every upload you make is noted in your log, but there is no reward for uploading a large number of files. We tend to value quality over quantity. —LX (talk, contribs) 16:40, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• The rights releases required for uploading other people's photos can get pretty tricky. I recommend it only if you are uploading pictures that either are in the public domain or already have a free license explicitly granted elsewhere on the Internet; or if you have a fair understanding of copyright law and have familiarized yourself with the procedures described at COM:OTRS. - Jmabel ! talk 23:55, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

Repositorios digitales

Permiten albergar distintos tipos de materiales multimedia — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ana Laura Márquez Alonso (talk • contribs) 16:16, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• ¿Y su pregunta es...? - Jmabel ! talk 00:09, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

cannot find an previously uploaded image

Hi,

The archivist at the Univ. of Cincinnati uploaded an image of Marion Rawson, archaeologist for me to use in my wikipedia biography on Marion Rawson.

I cannot find the image of Rawson under any name. The archivist said she uploaded it with the label MarionTroy1937.jpg. Still cannot find it.

This is the info she shared with me today to help me locate the image. Please help me locate this image for my bio. Dear Hershenson Carol,

Thank you for your email. This is an automatically generated response to inform you that your message has been received. Because all emails are handled by volunteers, it may take some time for us to reply. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we try our best to reply as quickly as possible. If your article or file has been deleted in the mean time, please don't worry. Any administrator can restore these later.

If you want to send more emails about the same subject, please add the following to the subject bar of the email: [Ticket#: 2017050810015938].

MauraWen (talk) 23:36, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

• It would help a lot to have the archivist's account name. - Jmabel ! talk 00:10, 10 May 2017 (UTC)
• I can say definitively that there has never been a File:MarionTroy1937.jpg or en:File:MarionTroy1937.jpg. - Jmabel ! talk 00:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Can't find user

Hi there,

I'd like to license the use of this image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laverne_Cox_by_Sachyn_Mital.jpg

I wanted to check with the user who uploaded this if that would be ok, but when I click on their username, it comes up that they don't exist.

Is there any way to get in touch with them about this image?

Thank you!

Ikoikotypo (talk) 03:25, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Don't click the (red) user name but the talk page link instead. --Magnus (talk) 06:55, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Alternatively: Special:EmailUser/Sachyn. Or just follow the terms of the license described in the "Licensing" section (here: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported). --El Grafo (talk) 07:04, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

El Grafo’s suggestions seem to b more promising: The user was last time active on 28 February 2016 (in the whole Wikimedia universe). To his second point: You do not need to ask at all, as long as you tag the image according the license requirements. — Speravir – 23:51, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Does re-uploading existing non-protected files require permissions other than just creating an account?

83.31.89.14 06:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Pretty sure your account needs to be "autoconfirmed" (account created more than four days ago). Cheers, --El Grafo (talk) 06:51, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Monthly challenges

I want to upload to the monthly challenges, and following the guidelines. Except my image is not showing. Am I doing something wrong? Please advise, or give a simpler guide to upload it. I want to upload it from my computer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Noelcmn (talk • contribs) 19:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

• Not much way to know if you are doing something wrong, since you don't say what you are doing; you don't even link to the directions you say you are following! For what it's worth, you seem to have made some odd edits to Commons:Photo challenge/2017 - May - Mammals, where in a series of 3 edits you added the words "Cheetah in Addo", but I see no indication that you did anything to upload a file. - Jmabel ! talk 22:55, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Wikimapia copyright Policy's - Photos

Hello! In its photo policy, the wikimapia site informs that "1. By uploading a photo to Wikimapia, you acknowledge and agree it is freely available for commercial and non-commercial use under Creative Commons license Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)" (see: http://wikimapia.org/docs/Photos). Does this mean that we can download all the photos that are there in commons? I ask you to analyze these three pictures: http://wikimapia.org/14057371/pt/Cinema-Multiplex-Pantanal . Thanks!!!! Ajmcbarreto (talk) 00:09, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Yes, it is possible to upload all of them to Commons. Ruslik (talk) 13:52, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

So I'm making a list of all potato chips sorts by a swedish company

I need to take the images of each sorts bag. However these images aren't mine. Am I still allowed to upload them? --Konlon15 (talk) 17:48, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Konlon15: short answer, no. Even if you had taken the images yourself, or they were freely licensed, the graphic design on the bags is a copyrightable work, and so any photo of them would be a derivative of that copyrighted work, and thus they would not be allowed here unless that design were either released freely or public domain for some reason (too simple, too old, etc). -mattbuck (Talk) 17:49, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

What if they're uploaded on their website?--Konlon15 (talk) 17:52, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

@Konlon15: only if the images are explicitly published there under a free licence (which is rare on commercial sites). Otherwise the answer is doubly “no”, because both the company’s packaging and the photographs themselves will be protected.—Odysseus1479 (talk) 19:57, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Uploading an image

I am not an experienced Wikipedia user so I was looking for simple step-by-step instructions for uploading images. For example I want to upload an image to the page for Max Minghella: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Minghella

The image I have was given my to my the copyright holder (Hulu) and approved for use on Wikipedia. Can you tell me how I properly upload the image and what type of license I need to cite? There are multiple places to upload images and so many different attributions/copyright types that I am very confused.

Please let me know - thank you! --42W Digi (talk) 18:26, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

@42W Digi: approval “for use on Wikipedia” is not sufficient, whether you upload it directly there or here on Commons, because we only want media that are free for anyone to use anywhere. The Licensing page outlines the requirements; if you’re uncertain which to use we generally recommend a CC-BY-SA. Please see COM:OTRS for instructions on submitting permissions; there you will also find a sample consent letter for the owner (who BTW is usually the photographer, not the subject) to send in. Alternatively, if the image has not been published elsewhere and the photographer is willing to register here & upload the image as “own work“ (with any free licence), no further formalities are usually required.—Odysseus1479 (talk) 20:18, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

-Thank you @Odysseus1479. The rights holder of the image is not the photographer in this case, it is the company Hulu. Do I still need the photographer's permission or do I need Hulu's permission? Hulu have now approved usage for the image as per the terms above (fine to use anywhere by anyone). So if I get a letter from them proving this, is that sufficient? Or do I need — Preceding unsigned comment added by 42W Digi (talk • contribs) 22:14, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

• If Hulu is indeed the rights-holder, it would be their permission needed, not the photographer. As Odysseus1479 said, see COM:OTRS for how they need to provide that permission if they haven't already published the image with a clear statement of a free license. - Jmabel ! talk 22:22, 11 May 2017 (UTC)