Copyright Infringement
This page is for listing and discussing possible copyright problems involving text on GaijinPot Wiki, including pages which are suspected to be copyright violations. For images and text that are clear copyright violations, follow the procedure for speedy deletion; list images that are suspected to be copyright violations at possibly unfree images and images with disputed fair use rationales at Non-free content review.
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What's copyrighted?
Copyright exists automatically upon creation in a tangible form. An author does not need to apply for or even claim copyright for a copyright to exist. Only an explicit statement that the material is in the public domain, licensed with the GFDL, or is otherwise compatible with the GFDL, makes material reusable under current policy, unless it is inherently in the public domain due to age or source.
Fair use: Under guidelines for non-free content, brief selections of copyrighted text may be used, but only with full attribution.
Plagiarism that does not infringe copyright
GaijinPot Wiki will naturally refer to and include some material that comes from outside sources. This material may be in the public domain, may be included under a fair use argument, or it may be under a license compatible with the license used on GaijinPot Wiki, the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). Examples of public-domain works include text and images from United States Government publications, and older works — such as the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica — that are no longer, or never were, covered by copyright.
Even when material is not covered by copyright, it is still important to state its origin, including its authors or creators. Failure to include the origin of a work is misleading and also makes it more difficult for readers and editors to refer to the material's source. It may also violate the terms of the GFDL.
Material that is plagiarized but which does not violate copyright does not need to be removed from GaijinPot Wiki if it can be properly sourced. Add appropriate source information to the article wherever possible, or move unsourced material to an article's talk page until sources can be found.
If an editor has copied text or figures into GaijinPot Wiki without proper attribution, politely refer him/her to the appropriate help pages. Editors who have difficulties or questions about this guidance can be referred to the Help Desk. Editors engaged in ongoing plagiarism who do not respond to polite requests may be blocked from editing.
Instructions
Material whose presence on GaijinPot Wiki infringes copyright (ie. the material is not Public Domain, licensed under the GFDL or specifically licensed on suitable terms) should, as a general rule, be removed.
Blatant copyright infringements
These may be speedily deleted if:
- Material was copied from another website which does not have a license compatible with GaijinPot Wiki;
- There is no non-infringing content in the page history worth saving.
- The text on GaijinPot Wiki really is an infringement of another source
- Uploader does not assert permission, or the assertion is questionable
After notifying the uploading editor, add one of these to the page:
- {{db-copyvio | url=insert URL of source here}}
- {{db-copyvio | describe non-web source here}}
An administrator will examine the article and decide whether to delete it or not. You should not blank the page in this instance.
If infringement is not blatant or the speedy deletion criteria do not apply
Revert the page to a non-copyrighted version if you can. The infringing text will remain in the page history for archival reasons unless the copyright holder asks the GaijinPot Wiki to remove it.
However, if all revisions have copyright problems, place one of the following on the page:
- {{subst:[[Template:Copyvio|copyvio]] | url=''insert URL here''}}
- {{subst:[[Template:Copyvio|copyvio]] | ''identify non-web source here''}}
This will blank all text beneath the template. (To limit blanking, place </div> at the end of the text to be blanked.)
Go to "Current issues" (below) and add
- {{subst:article-cv | PageName}} from [insert URL or identify non-web source here] ~~~~
to the bottom of the list. Put the page's name in place of "PageName". If you do not have a URL, enter a description of the source. (This text can be copied from the top of the template after substituting it and the page name and url will be filled for you) Advise the contributor of the material at his or talk page. The template on the now blanked page supplies a notice you may use for that purpose. You're done!
Current issues
Archive
See also
Some content adapted from Wikipedia.org.
