[WikiEN-l] Coin photos and scans

Fri Feb 3 02:58:07 UTC 2006

According to our [[WP:IUP|Image use policy]]:

"''According to the image use policy: "Also note that in the United States, reproductions of two-dimensional artwork which is in the public domain because of age do not generate a new copyright — for example, a straight-on photograph of the Mona Lisa would not be considered copyrighted (see Bridgeman v. Corel). Scans of images alone do not generate new copyrights — they merely inherit the copyright status of the image they are reproducing.''"

Does this mean that images taken from coin auction catalogs (whether paper or online) could be uploaded under a {{tl|Money-US}} license? As an example of what I'm talking about, see this:

[http://www.coinfacts.com/nickels/shield_nickels/1866_nickel_obv.jpg]

This and similar images are clearly either scans or straight-on photos, with essentially no creative work involved. Since they are large, high-resolution pictures, they would be very useful on Wikipedia. Can they be used in compliance with copyright law and Wikipedia policy?

- [[User:Crotalus horridus]]