User talk:Mjeb

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[edit] Dunedin, Florida copyright problem

Thanks for your addtion to this article. Unfortunately, it is from the City of Dunedin home page. City govenrments in Florida generally hold copyright on there webpage contensts. Wikipedia cannot accept copyrighted materials. Could you rewrite the content you added in your own words? Cheers, User:Mikereichold | User_talk:Mikereichold 01:10, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for letting me know... I didn't realize that. I work for the City of Dunedin and I do help with the changes on the main webpage. I have, however, changed the wording, and added some more items. --Mjeb 20:35, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your note. This is realy a complex issue, and I don't understand how a copyright holder can release the work to Wikipedai if it pre-exists somewhere else. Anything on Wikipedia must be released to the public domain or under some sort of GFDL free licnese. The copyright holder cannot afterward assert copyright without experienceing severe legal headaches. Of course rephrasing and attributing alleviates most of the problem. There is another problem with using the City's content on Wikipedia-- it may seem to POV or boosterish for a Wikipedia article.

Releasing the City's copyright on its webpage content may have far-reaching implications and effects. It is a decision that should probably be made by the Council or Manager after conferring with the City Attorney. It may be to the City's advantage by helping promote the CIty and its webpage. Then there is the civic pride issue-- people from the community could step forward and improve the article. Of course, a "copyleft" disclaimer at the bottom of the City's webpage would eliminate the problem of including the work on Wikipedia. Wish I could be more helpful. When I have more time, I'll seek the opinon of others more knowlegeable than I about copyright. Someone you could ask is the admin User:Carnildo. Cheers, and happy editing. User:Mikereichold | User_talk:Mikereichold 14:08, 16 September 2006 (UTC)