[Wikipedia-l] i hate copyright laws

Wed Aug 20 17:04:34 UTC 2003

From: "Jimmy Wales" <jwales at bomis.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 8:43 AM

> I know you're looking for a simple "yes" or "no" answer, but
> unfortunately, there isn't one.

A minor problem I have with fair use here is there is no
way for sure to know when someone invokes fair use.
Unless they state where the quote comes from or
acknowledge it is copied under fair use it is hard
to know. This makes it difficult to redistribute anything
under Wikipedia IMHO. If there were a clear fair
use log linked to each page that would be a way
to make contributors more compliant. I know we are
asked to mention fair use, but something like a check
box (like on the upload page) for that or public
domain stuff (with a link to the origin if it is posted
elsewherre on the net) or some other attribution info
which is what the due dilligence people need.
Anyone who republishes Wikipedia stuff has a heavy
burden to do their due dilligence to be certain they
are not violating any third party copyright. While
Wikipedia volunteers try to make sure their are no
copyright violations, I am not sure that such a system
is foolproof.

Also, in most foreign countries it is called fair dealing
and it is not exactly like fair use, this makes it even
more complex if someone wants to use the material
outside the good ol'USA.
Alex756