Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2006-11-27/Name usage

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Group apologizes for using Wikipedia name in online arts fundraiser

By Trödel, November 27, 2006

The Digital Art Registry announced yesterday that it is seeking $100,000,000 in donations to found and fund a trust that will maintain an "on-line catalog of global Public Art and architecture" and provide grants to artists creating Public Art. The group defines "Public Art" as "works of art in any media that has been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the public domain, usually outside and accessible to all." In the press release, the group refers to Flickr and Wikipedia multiple times. The Registry does not make it clear whether "sited or staged in the public domain" means they will encourage artists to dedicate their work to the public domain, to release their art under a free content license, or to promote artists to publicly display their copyrighted works.

Because of the amount, and the implication that The Registry is seeking to acquire digital versions of art work, comparison to the October post from Jimmy Wales, "Dream a little" is inevitable. However, the Signpost confirmed with Jimbo Wales and Brad Patrick that the group has no connection to the Wikimedia Foundation, and that the Wikimedia Foundation was not contacted prior to the publication of the press release.

The group's website, www.publicartregistry.org, posted an apology late Monday. In it they apologized for using Wikipedia's name, along with those of other brands, in their press release "without their permission or consultation."

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