[WikiEN-l] Image:Wp ayb.gif

Fri Jan 20 19:11:41 UTC 2006

jayjg wrote:

>On 1/20/06, Chris Jenkinson <chris at starglade.org> wrote:
>  
>
>>jayjg wrote:
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>>>Well, the argument constantly made on AfD discussions is that server
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>>space
>>    
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>>>is never an issue.  By the way, nothing that happens in user space is
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>>"in
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>>>the encyclopedia", including userboxes - is that all a "waste of server
>>>space" too?.
>>>      
>>>
>>I don't think everything on user pages (or in fact, pages which aren't
>>in article-space) is a waste of server space. Talk pages are obviously
>>highly useful, as are user pages which give information about interests
>>and qualifications. For example, on my page I list subjects I am
>>interested in and some pages I have contributed to. I think that's
>>useful. I also have some probably "not useful" stuff, like the haiku.
>>But I very much doubt either of those aspects are fair use.
>>
>>Fair use images are inherently in conflict with what we are trying to do
>>- build a free content encyclopaedia.
>>    
>>
>User pages are not part of the "free content encyclopedia".
>
>By the way, I'm not arguing for the use of "fair use" images on User pages.
>However, I *am* arguing against the use of bad arguments to remove them
>(and, in general, against the use of bad arguments to defend *any* action).
>"Server space" simply won't fly, as it appears to be an almost limitless
>resource in other contexts, and "it hinders distribution of a free
>encyclopedia" won't fly, as User pages are not part of the encyclopedia
>content we are trying to distribute.  The more relevant arguments seem to
>center on legal liability issues, though in reality the potential for any
>real litigation based on their use appears to be nil, if for no other reason
>than if someone actually did threaten to sue Wikipedia based on a fair use
>image maintained on a user page (which is extemely unlikely), it would
>promptly be deleted, ending any action.
>
That's fine.  The rationale needs to be established on a case by case 
basis.  Even when it can be argued that the use of an image on a user 
page is not strictly educational research, scholarship and criticism are 
still available.  I suspect that fair use images on user pages would be 
much less likely to result in legal action than ones in the article 
namespace.

Ec