Discussion:Copyright policy clarification: Uploading of copyright images under fair use

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Oportet (talk) 22:13, 13 January 2017 (MST)

I have found some images on the internet I would like to use in a D&D wiki article, but I need to resize the images to make it fit the page. To do that, I need to upload the images to D&D wiki. I believe I have a good case for fair use on basis of being a noncommercial, transformative use that does not harm the copyright holders' ability to commercialize their works, as the copyright holders already allow public viewing of their work and reasonable credit has been given to the authors (for reference, a best practices guide can be found here. Take note of section five). Can I upload these images to D&D Wiki?

I see two interpretations of wiki policy:

1. According to Help:Policies, D&D wiki follows Wikipedia policy. Wikipedia policy would consider this acceptable, according to Wikipedia:Non-free Content, though I would need to provide the fair use rational when uploading the images. I would assume this goes in the images' respective summaries.
2. According to the DnD links help page, I cannot upload the images, as I do not have the author's permission.

Which is correct?

--Kydo (talk) 03:59, 21 January 2017 (MST)

D&D links is about actual external links on the wiki, not so much uploaded files, content, or copyright.

Personally, as an artist, I would recommend you make some effort to seek out permission to use the work if at all possible, before attempting a fair use application of their work.

Marasmusine (talk) 04:36, 21 January 2017 (MST)

Please ask permission of the copyright holder. Fair use is "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research". Also, I don't believe that simply resizing an image is sufficiently transformative.

For the purposes of this wiki, generally the only fair use rationale we have is for showing book covers (on pages about those books). Marasmusine (talk) 04:36, 21 January 2017 (MST)

Jwguy (talk) 21:46, 8 June 2017 (UTC)

I'm very late, but I'd like to weigh in on this. The only issue I have with the submission being considered acceptable by Wikipedia's policy on Non-Free Images is that the policy's first rule states that "No free equivalent: Non-free content is used only where no free equivalent is available, or could be created, that would serve the same encyclopedic purpose." If we were subject to Wikipedia's policy, it would mean that you'd have to prove that there is no sufficient, free alternative available to reference the content in question, which is a very tall claim, indeed.

I personally think our standing policy on images is needlessly strict, and as we've had a very large and exhaustive argument on the issue at Template Talk:Copyright Disclaimer, and the fact that even Wikipedia policy would consider the use of some non-free images as acceptable, I think we ought reconsider this. I'll admit the transformational value indicated here isn't the same as the one we've argued on the Copyright template, given that we've not changed the image in any significant way, but I think we'd be fine with using images that are distributed to the public in a manner that doesn't threaten their commercial value. Perhaps that is an argument for the policy page, however.

Klondike Bar (talk) 17:59, 25 July 2017 (MDT)

So I'm new around here, just wondering if editing unbalanced classes that are in that left for dead section is a no no

WeirdoWhoever (talk) 18:16, 25 July 2017 (MDT)

Dear Klondike Bar: Why not? Any pages you find in Abandoned and Deletion Candidates page can be edited as much as you want to, as long as you don't do any harm. It's a wiki for a good reason or two, you see.

Just a piece of advice from a weirdo: Some OCs (short for "Original Contributors") are rather... protective with their work, so it would be safe to edit pages that are left unedited for a month or two, or start a little conversation at the page's talk page. You can find the "discussion" tap on the top of the page.

Oh, and you can start a new discussion, too! Welcome to D&D Wiki.

— Geodude671 (talk | contribs)‎ . . 18:18, 25 July 2017 (MDT)

This is kind of a random place to ask that, but yes, you are allowed and actually encouraged to improve pages with maintenance templates.