Wikipedia:WikiProject Microsoft Windows/Licensing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page was written by Warrens, who doesn't claim to be an expert on the subject, or even a very good writer for that matter... by all means, improve this page as needed!

Contents

[edit] Overview

One of the more difficult things we face as editors working on an encyclopedia that includes non-Free content, is ensuring that we are claiming proper fair use for every single instance where copyrighted content is being used. Over time, the English Wikipedia's guidelines on this have become more strictly-defined, and there are quite a number of dedicated editors who actively work to reduce and remove as many cases of "bad fair use" as possible. This is a good thing!

Of course, this affects pretty much every article related to Microsoft Windows, because it's a strongly visually-oriented operating system, so screenshots are commonly used to demonstrate the subject. The problem we face as a group of editors interested in improving the hundreds of Microsoft Windows articles we've got, is that if we don't properly tag, license, and describe the images we are using, screenshots may end up being deleted on us, sometimes without warning. This is a bad thing!

[edit] Requirements

Here are the four basic things every Windows screenshot must have:

  1. A summary description of the contents of the screenshot. Use the word "screenshot". It's good to be as verbose as possible, and to use wikilinks to direct readers to other articles of interest. Think of it like this: A good description could result in someone finding an image through Google image search or something like that... we want to make it easy for readers to find their way to other content on the encyclopedia.
  2. A source for the screenshot. Generally speaking, if you make the screenshot yourself, say so. Indicate what version of Windows you're using, too. Now here's the important part: If you found the screenshot on a web site somewhere, it is generally not suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia. Make screenshots yourself if at all possible.
  3. A fair-use license. The preferred tag for this is {{windows-software-screenshots|Screenshots of Microsoft Windows}} ... this will attach an appropriate "Fair use" tag to the image that makes the following statement: It is believed that the use of a limited number of web-resolution screenshots for identification of and critical commentary on the software in question 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.
  4. A rationale for the fair-use claim. This is the hard part. We need to make a case for using any given image; have a look at Wikipedia:Image_description_page#Fair_use_rationale for more on this. It's obvious enough that a screenshot of Microsoft Windows cannot be replaced by an image that could be licensed under the GFDL, but we still have to state this. A rationale that is broadly applicable to all screenshots we use looks something like this:
  • Not likely to cause any financial damage to Microsoft
  • A screenshot is pretty safe territory
  • Clearly used for educational use
  • Wikipedia is a non-profit organization; downstream providers who are not non-profit will need to consider whether they will take the risk in using this image. Microsoft has published a document explaining the valid uses of screenshots, which should be reviewed prior to using this screenshot.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

This page has some potentially useful information when writing content that includes a Windows brand name.
This page covers the usage rights of various Microsoft stuff, including screenshots and logos. While we are not bound by these rules (since we're claiming Fair Use rights), we should do our best to adhere as closely to these guidelines as possible, so as not to expose ourselves to unnecessary trouble.