On 24 June 2014 17:25, Chris McKenna <cmckenna(a)sucs.org> wrote:
The problem is that people from other projects are
uploading files in a good
faith understanding that Commons will look after them, as they work on the
principle that unless something is provably unfree then it is acceptable to
host.
Unfortunately, Commons actually operates on the principle that if there a
possibility that someone somewhere may in future claim that a file is
unfree, with or without proof, and with or without merit to the claim, then
it cannot be held unless we have proof (of a higher standard than required
by professional copyright lawyers) that the file is completely free in the
US and the source country, now and at all conceivable future times, then it
must be deleted. There is also a great reluctance to engage with anyone who
has a lesser understanding of copyright than the self-educated and
self-appointed experts on Commons, and with anyone who has a lesser grasp of
English than they do. There is an equal reluctance to let anyone using the
images know that there are questions about a file.
Until this attitude changes, Commons is not and cannot be a reliable host of
media for other projects, and usage as such must be deprecated and an
alternative, reliable service project initiated.
+1. Commons is behaving like damage that needs to be routed around.
- d.