Wikipedia:Fixing non-free image problems: Difference between revisions

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{{how-to page|WP:FIXNF|WP:FIXNONFREE}}

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'''<big>Someone deleted a picture from the article I was working on... HELP'''</big>'''

First, take a deep breath, and remain calm. There are people here who will try tocan help you with your questions, and if possible, find a solution to your problem. There are basically two type of pictures (images, files, pics, etc.) that are used here on Wikipedia:

# '''[[Free content|Free images]]'''

# '''[[Wikipedia:Non-free content|Non-free images]]'''

A '''Freefree imagesimage''' areis thosean whichimage that can be freely used anyplaceanywhere on Wikipedia. A free image may be either '''[[WP:PD|public ___domain]]''', or released under a '''[[Wikipedia:File copyright tags/Free licenses|free license]]''', such as [[Wikipedia:CC-BY-SA|CC-BY-SA]]. Free images can be used in any article where their presence would add value. As long as there is a consensus among the editors working on an article that the [[Wikipedia:Images#Image choice and placement|image is appropriate for the article]], it's safe to say that it can remain in an article. Free images can even be modified and used elsewhere.

'''Non-free images''', however, are subject to restrictions. Album covers and TV screenshots are two types of images that are typically non-free. They may belong to a person or organization who has not agreed to release them freely to the public, and there may be restrictions on ''how'' they are used. These are the types of files that this guide will discussdiscusses. Because these non-free images involve real world legal issues, very often the wording of our guides is necessarily complex and difficult to understand. By calmly discussing the issues, policies, and guidelines everyone can gain a better understanding of what can be used, and ''how'' it can be used.

== Why was my image removed? ==

There are twogenerally waysthree ansources of image can be removed from an article. Eitherremoval: an editor looked at itthe image and decided that it was notinappropriate beingas usedplaced correctly,in orthe acontext [[WP:BOT|bot]] that travels throughof the articlesarticle foundor that itits wasuse missingdid thenot informationmeet thatnon-free wascontent neededguidelines to(see allowbelow); thea image to remain. A "[[WP:BOT|bot" is]] (an automated script or tool) whichthat runssurveys automaticallyarticles andfound looksthat forthe certainimage textwas ormissing conditionsnecessary whichlicensing wouldinformation to allow the picture.image Ifto thoseremain conditionsand areautomatically notremoved met,it; thenand theon botoccasion, automatically removesas the pictureresult fromof the"blanking" article[[WP:VAND|vandalism]].

== Our non-free image policy ==

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{{main|Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria}}

No one is ''automatically'' allowed to use non-free images or content in an article or elsewhere on Wikipedia. In order toTo use non-free items, '''all 10''' of the items below must be satisfied.

# '''No free equivalent.''' Non-free content is used only where no free equivalent is available, or could be created, that would serve the same encyclopedic purpose. Where possible, non-free content is changed to, or substituted with free material instead of using a fair-use item. ("Could the subject be adequately conveyed by text without using the non-free content at all?" If the answer is yes, the non-free content probably does not meet this criterion.)

# '''Respect for commercial opportunities.''' Non-free content is not allowed to be used if it is likely to replace the original market role of the original copyrighted media.

# '''Minimal usage.''' Multiple items of non-free content are not used if one item can convey equivalent significant information. '''Minimal extent of use'''. An entire work is not used if a portion will sufficesuffices. Low- rather than high-resolution/fidelity/bit rate is used (especially where the original could be used for deliberate copyright infringement). This rule also applies to the copy in the File: namespace.

# '''Previous publication.''' Non-free content must have been published or publicly displayed outside Wikipedia.

# '''Content.''' Non-free content meets general Wikipedia content standards and is encyclopedic.

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# '''Image description page.''' The image or media description page contains the following:

##Identification of the source of the material, supplemented, where possible, with information about the artist, publisher and copyright holder; this is to help determine the material's potential market value. ''See: [[Wikipedia:Citing sources#Multimedia]]''.

##A copyright tag that indicates which Wikipedia policy provision is claimed to permitpermits the use.

##The name of each article (a link to each article is also recommended) in which fair use is claimed for the item, and a separate, specific non-free use rationale for each use of the item, as explained at [[Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline]].

##The rationale is presented in clear, plain language and is relevant to each use.

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It is best to take the time to read and understand all 10 of the above criteria, but there are two in particular that are frequently not satisfied, causing the image to be removed:

* Criterion 10 requires that a '''[[Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline|non-free use rationale]]''' be placed on the image description page that serves to explain why a particular use of a non-free image should be allowed for the article in question. A missing or incorrect rationale will cause the image to be removed.

* Criterion 3 requires '''minimal''' usage of non-free content in an article; overuse will causecauses the image to be removed.

To ensure that these criteria are met, the following questions should be answered:

;Is there a non-free use rationale for the image?

:If there isn't, the image will beis removed from the article. See the [[Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline|guidelines]] for instructions on how to create a rationale.

;Does the rationale point to the article the image is used in?

:"General use" rationales are not sufficient; the rationale needs to explain why the non-free image is needed '''in the article you wish to useadd itthe image to''', and itthe needsrationale toshould link to the article.<ref name=rationalelink /> If a rationale is already present, but it is for a different article, an additional rationale for the article you wish to use it in must be added.

;Is the link to the article correct?

<span id="LINKCORRECT" ></span>

:Check that the article linked to in the rationale is the same article you wish to use the image in. A common mistake is to link to a similarly-named article, or to a redirect to the article, or to a disambiguation page that leadslinks to the article.<ref Oftenname=pagemove rationales are rendered invalid after a page move, if the person moving the page fails to make sure the images used in the article have their rationales updated with the new article title./>

;Are you ''sure'' that the link is correct?

:Take a look at the non-free use rationale on the page [[:File:Thriller (Michael Jackson)jackson thriller 12 inch single USA.jpg]]. This is the cover for the ''single'' named "Thriller", so the rationale links to the article [[Thriller (song)]]. If the rationale instead linked to the page [[Thriller]] (a disambiguation page), the rationale would no longer be valid, and the image would be subject to removal. Even linking to [[Thriller (Michael Jackson song)]], which redirects to [[Thriller (song)]], would "break" the rationale, since the image is not present in that redirect.

;How many non-free images are already present in the article?

:If it'sthere moreare thanalready onenon-free images in the article, then the newly added image may tip the balance from "minimal usage" of non-free content (as required by NFCC #3, above), into ''over''usage, which is not allowed.<ref name=overuse /> If there ''many'' non-free images in the article already, then the "minimal usage" requirement is almost certainly not being met; instead of simply adding the new image, first discuss on the talk page of the article how the image is a better use of non-free content than the existing non-free images, and offer suggestions as to which non-free images should be removed from the article, (or replaced with a free image, if one is available), to meet the requirements of the NFCC.

The above questions help identify common problems satisfying the NFCC requirements. However, even if a rationale is present and properly formatted, there is no guarantee the image will meet all 10 of the criteria. There may be other problems with the image use; the next section will help put you in touch with an editor who can help identify them.

== What do I do now? ==

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;Step 1 – Find out who removed the image, and ask them why.

:At the top of the page there is a "history" tab. If you click on it, you will see a list of all the edits made to the page. Try to determine which edit caused the removal of the image, and ifthen itgo wasto anthat editor, then go to's their[[Wikipedia:User pages|talk page]] and ask them ''politely'' why it was removed. Most editors are happy to explain when approached in a respectful manner. If the editor is unavailable, or their response does not explain the problem to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.

;Step 2 – Check the article's talk page.

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:You can try one of the editors listed at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Images and Media/Non-free#Editors willing to help]], or at the section below. Note that the editors at the top of the WikiProject list were the first to sign up, and may no longer be active; you may have better luck contacting one of the editors at the bottom of that list.

Whatever you do, '''don't''' [[WP:Edit warring|edit-war]] with the person or bot that removed the image; repeatedly restoring a removed image without first resolving the issues that caused its removal can lead to being [[WP:BLOCK|blocked]] from editing. Instead, follow the steps above to resolve the issue the right way, through proper attention to [[Wikipedia:Non-free content|our non-free use policies]] and [[WP:Consensus|consensus]] on the article's talk page foras to which images to include in a particular article.

== Editors willing to help ==

<!--* [[User:28bytes|28bytes]] ([[User talk:28bytes|talk]]) 21:00, 23 June 2011 (UTC)-->

* — <small><span style="border:1px solid #000000;padding:1px;"><b>[[User:Ched Davis|Ched]]</b> : [[User_talk:Ched Davis|<fontspan style="color:#FFFFFF;background:#0000fa;">&nbsp;?&nbsp;</fontspan>]]</span></small> 13:08, 19 June 2011 (UTC)

*Ahem! <small>(PS: Hi Ched!)</small> --<small>[[User:Dave1185|<fonti facestyle="font-family:Rage Italic"; font-size="4" style="color:#000000large; color:green;"><i>Dave</i></font>]] ^{<span style="font-family:Italic;color:black">[[user_talk:Dave1185|♠♣♥♦™№1185©♪♫®]]</span>}</small> 18:48, 19 June 2011 (UTC)

* --[[UserUser_talk:HammersoftBlack Kite|HammersoftBlack Kite (t)]] ([[User talkSpecial:HammersoftContributions/Black_Kite|talk(c)]]) 2123:5944, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

* [[User:J Milburn|J Milburn]] ([[User talk:J Milburn|talk]]) 23:46, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

*--[[User:AKMask|<span style="border:1px solid orange; background:#A6D785; font-size:x-small; color:#9E0508;">&nbsp;۩&nbsp;</span>]]<strong style="color:#B13E0F;">M</strong>[[User talk:AKMask|<span style="color:#A9A9A9;">ask</span>]] 23:48, 23 June 2011 (UTC)

* <span style="white-space:nowrap; text-shadow:gray 5px 3px 1px;">— [[User:Huntster|Huntster]] <small>([[User talk:Huntster|t]] [[Special:Emailuser/Huntster|@]] [[Special:Contributions/Huntster|c]])</small></span> 04:18, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

* [[User:Beetstra|Dirk Beetstra]] ^{[[User_Talk:Beetstra|<span style="color:#0000FF;">T</span>]] [[Special:Contributions/Beetstra|<span style="color:#0000FF;">C</span>]]} 08:03, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

* ˉˉ^{[[User:Anetode|'''anetode''']]}[[User_talk:Anetode|╦╩]] 07:00, 25 June 2011 (UTC)

*[[User:TrebleSeven|TrebleSeven]] ([[User talk:TrebleSeven|talk]]) 11:14, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

== Other places to get help ==

* [[Wikipedia:Media copyright questions]] Our help desk for copyright and media questions.

* [[Wikipedia:Help desk]] Our general help desk.

* [[Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion]] For undeletion requests not handled by deletion review

* [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#NFCCCompliance #NFCCCompliance] An IRC channel focused on the monitoring and use of non-free material

== See Also ==

== See Alsoalso ==

* [[WP:NFCC]] (our legal policy on using non-free content.)

* [[WP:FU]] (our guideline on how to use non-free content for specific cases.)

* [[WP:FUR]] (where to request a review of removed non-free content.)

* [[WP:COPYRIGHT]] (our legal policy on general copyright issues.)

* [[WP:FURG]] (instructions on how to write a non-free use rationale)

== Notes ==

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=overuse>There is no numerical limit that separates minimal use and overuse; the key is to ensure that each non-free file that is being used has an adequate justification. NFCC #3 is not about simply counting the number of non-free images; it's about being sure that no more are being used than are needed to achieve the purpose being identified. Sometimes, even one image is not considered "minimal" if it does not add anything beyond what is already discussed in the text. On the other hand, there may be cases where a considerable number of images are appropriate: for example, if the images themselves are the subject of the article, have no significant commercial value, and no representative subset can be chosen that conveys the same degree of understanding.</ref>

<ref name=pagemove>Sometimes rationales can be rendered invalid after a page move, if the person moving the page fails to make sure the images used in the article have their rationales updated with the new article title, and the old title is then used for something else (e.g. a disambiguation page, or an unrelated article.)</ref>

<ref name=rationalelink>The NFCC requirements also allow the article to be listed in plain text, rather than linked. However, a link is recommended, as a link makes it easier to verify that the article is listed correctly.</ref>

}}

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