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[edit] Postage stamp image
It has been argued at both Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics and Wikipedia:WikiProject Fair use that the usage of the image is not fair use since it is not being used to illustrate the stamp but rather the character. Hence it has been removed. User:Steve block talk 17:25, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
- Almost none of the stamp images employed on Wikipedia are used to "illustrate the stamp" rather than the subject of the article. It seems pretty clear that currently there is a widespread usage of stamps in the former way, and there's even an image template and image category for these particular types of images. Until our policies in this matter change, I don't see any reason to single out and remove this particular image. Gamaliel 17:39, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
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- Have you checked what the template says?:
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- This image is of a United States postage stamp produced in 1978 or later. The copyright for it is owned by the United States Postal Service. It is believed that the use of postage stamps to illustrate the stamp in question (as opposed to the subject of the stamp) on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Other use of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. See Copyrights for more information.
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- Note it says it is not acceptable to use it to illustrate the subject of the stamp. It's best if you give your thoughts on that, rather than we just engage in a revert war. User:Steve block talk 19:30, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
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- Honestly, I hadn't read the template before. Is there a page which describes our policies on stamps? There are certainly a lot of unanswered questions here, for me anyway. Why are pre-1978 stamps acceptable but not post-1978 stamps? Why are stamps less acceptable than book covers? Why can't the fact that the article mentions the stamp be an excuse for fair use, or using the stamp to illustrate the social significance of a subject be fair use? In any case, I'm not sure what a discussion between only two people will accomplish, because if what this template says should be binding WP policy, then there are a lot of editors and articles which will be affected. Gamaliel 20:00, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
- The template was probably written by Wikipedia:WikiProject Fair use. Our fair use policies are slowly being tightened due to legal advice, as best as I can understand it. As to other articles, I can't really speak on them, only that we've been discussing this article and image at Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics and have inclined towards removing it. Note technically the image has no source and can be listed for speedy deletion anyway. User:Steve block talk 20:27, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
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- As to the 1978 thing, I believe copyright laws in the United States changed in that year, although I am not American so I am not 100% positive on that. I actually do agree with you that since the article mentions the stamp it constitutes fair use but the consensus leant the other way. I'm happy to leave well enough alone for now. User:Steve block talk 20:30, 15 November 2005 (UTC)
