On Tue, 24 Jun 2014, Magnus Manske 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.
2. It means other projects can use files form Commons. Nowhere it states
that Commons has to take whatever Wikipedias feel like storing there.
That said, it does feel like some people are using the very fine toothbrush
to find and delete images that are not 100% obviously allowed.
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.
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Chris McKenna