User talk:Miami33139

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Welcome!

Hello, Miami33139, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{helpme}} before the question. Again, welcome! Kingturtle (talk) 01:49, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tagging possible copyvios

WP:CSD#I9 tags should only be used in clear cases of copyright infringement. If a user uploads a free-licensed image sourced to a commercial content provider, then I9 deletion is warranted, likewise for watermarks and images you can trace to commercial websites via google image search. If a user claims copyright on an image and you are merely suspicious, then make a report at WP:IFD or WP:PUI. Thanks, ˉˉanetode╦╩ 03:36, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

I've deleted most of the pics of consoles since his little "L" thing was obviously concealing a watermark, but I'm not aware of any principle that says that game screenshots have to be self-made by wikipedians, or that there is any benefit to doing so. Non-free is non-free, and IGN doesn't hold any copyright in those games regardless (they're using the screenshots as fair use themselves). —Random832 05:49, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

By choosing which elements of the game to include in a screenshot, the characters, weapons, graphic elements, etc, IGN has created their own intellectual property interest in the image. IGN does claim copyright on these images, not just fair use. Further, since IGN is writing about the game, and Wikipedia is writing about the game, IGN would claim our use is infringing on their competitive, commercial interest. We can claim fair use against the game designer because we do not compete with them. That isn't true for IGN. IGN presumably also has direct permission from the game designer as well. Wikipedia can't steal content from commercial publishers. Miami33139 (talk) 06:22, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

You can't claim copyright of a videogame screenshot by adding a watermark. IGN, GameSpot, and many other sites add these watermarks for promotional purposes or to identify the source of the screenshot. The publication logos used in these watermarks are indeed copyrighted, however the process of adding these logos as a watermark creates a derivative work that is bound by the original copyright of the game. ˉˉanetode╦╩ 06:29, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
We, at Wikipedia, say you can't claim copyright of a videogame screenshot by adding a watermark. The game sites disagree. They have paid employees who have gone through some effort to create the screenshots, to create a derivative work (which they may have full legal permission from the software company to do). Presumably, one of these companies could see Wikipedia as a publishing competitor, would not take kindly to Wikipedia blatantly re-distributing their effort for free, and would take legal action to protect their intellectual property interests. I would not want to be the lawyer defending Wikipedia in that case and Wikipedia doesn't want to be in the business of creating legal precedents. Miami33139 (talk) 06:58, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
I was just about to suggest moving this to WT:NFC when I noticed you have already done so. I've left a reply there. As for the general tone of discourse, please be mindful of the no legal threats policy. No single editor here speaks for the Wikimedia foundation and I presume that you are not a legal representative of any gaming site. ˉˉanetode╦╩ 07:37, 4 January 2008 (UTC)