Wikipedia:Copyright problems

This page is for listing and discussing possible copyright problems involving text on Wikipedia. Most listings are handled within 1 week, although some may take longer. Interested editors are invited to offer feedback, rewrite infringing content, or request copyright permission.

Listed pages appear in the bottom section of the page. For additional guidance, see below.

To add a new listing, go to today's section.

Copyright problems handles articles where the copyright status is disputed or complex cases of infringement. You should list an article if one of the following applies:

• All revisions of an article have copyright violations (copyvio), and speedy deletion does not apply.
• The removal of copyrighted content has been contested.
• Removal or reversion is complicated or involves a majority of the article.
• You cannot determine whether the text originated from the source or Wikipedia. Do not blank the article in this case.
• The article is eligible for presumptive deletion.
• Other complex situations not listed here or in the section below.

If the article needs to be listed,

• Blatant infringement. Articles that are entirely copyvio can be handled through speedy deletion if it meets the criteria. You should not blank or list the article here if you tag for G12.
• Non-extensive obvious copyvio. If the copied content is not extensive, you can remove, rewrite, or revert the page to before the text was added. You should place {{Copyvio-revdel|url=copied source|start=diff of copyvio insertion|end=diff before copyvio removal}} on the article afterwards and warn the contributor of the material to the problem, unless advised not to. The template {{Uw-copyright}} may be used for this purpose.
• Requests for revision deletion. These should be handled by placing {{Copyvio-revdel|url=copied source|start=diff of copyvio insertion|end=diff before copyvio removal}} on the article.
• Files. For files that are clear copyright violations, follow the procedure for speedy deletion; otherwise list at Files for Discussion. If the file is on the Commons, they can be handled through Commons speedy deletion or Deletion requests.
• Individual editors. Contributors who repeatedly post copyrighted text or files after appropriate warnings will be blocked from editing to protect the project; see 17 United States Code § 512. If one contributor verifiably inserts multiple copyright violations and systematic review is needed, please file a request at Wikipedia:Contributor copyright investigations.
• Copyright violations without a source. If you cannot find a source of where something could be copied from, do not list the article here. The content may be removed for other reasons, like being unreferenced or violating our biographies of living persons policy.

Under the United States law that governs Wikipedia, copyright is automatically assumed as soon as any content (text or other media) is created in a physical form. An author does not need to apply for or claim copyright, for a copyright to exist. One of the following must be present to reuse the content on Wikipedia:

• Explicit statement by the author, stating that the work is either in the public domain or compatibly licensed
• Public domain due to age, source, or lack of originality
• Fair use under our guidelines for non-free content, where the text used is brief and clearly marked with full attribution

If none of the above are present, the text cannot be reused.

Even when the text can be reused, it must be attributed or it will be considered as plagiarism.

Any editor is welcome to investigate articles listed for copyright concerns and remove {{copypaste}} or {{close paraphrasing}} tags when the problem is addressed or disproven. Only administrators, copyright clerks, and VRT agents should remove {{copyvio}} tags and close listings.

Copyright problems is run by volunteers and it usually takes a few days before listings are first investigated.

You can assist in the following ways:

• Providing information on the copyright status of the article
• Obtaining or verifying claims of permission
• Rewriting or removing infringing content without removing {{copyvio}}.

Not every article listed here is a copyright violation. The content may be on Wikipedia first, public domain, compatibly licensed, or below the threshold of originality. Editors can provide information about licensing or public domain status under listings here or on the talk page of the article. A link or a clear explanation is very helpful when a clerk or administrator evaluates the article.

Sometimes material was placed on Wikipedia with the permission of the copyright owner. The owner may be willing to give permission and proper license. Any contributor can write to the owner of copyright and check whether they gave or will give permission. See Wikipedia:Example requests for permission. If a compatible license is placed online at the point of original publication, please provide a link to that under the listing.

More details about the permissions process can be seen below and at Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials.

If an article verifiably has copyvio, the content must be removed or rewritten entirely. If the article is blanked, the rewrite takes place at Talk:PAGENAME/Temp so that the new material can be copied over the old. The listing will link to the specific temporary page. You can directly rewrite on articles tagged for {{close paraphrasing}} or {{copy-paste}}, and remove the tags when the rewrite is complete.

The article should not be copied over without first removing copyvio. Other content from the article can be used, if there is no reason to believe that it may be a copyright issue as well. If the content is copied from an inaccessible source like a book or cannot be verified, please remove all text added by the contributor. If you copy any text from the old article, please leave a note on the listing or in your edit summaries of the rewrite. Reviewing administrators will then preserve the history of the old article.

Please review Wikipedia:Copy-paste and its linked guidelines as necessary to ensure the rewrite is compliant with policy. Repairing plagiarism from permissible sources is usually as simple as supplying proper attribution.

If you submitted work to Wikipedia which you had previously published and your submission was marked as a potential infringement of copyright, you must do one of the following to resolve the problem:

• Link to a note permitting reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) (unversioned, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts) at the site of the original publication; or
• Send an email from an address associated with the original publication to permissions-en@wikimedia.org or a postal message to the Wikimedia Foundation, ideally using the email template at WP:CONSENT.

See also Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials.

Emails are handled by volunteers and take time to log permission. Do not worry if the content is deleted; it will be restored if usable permission is logged. Your email will receive a response whether the permission is usable or not. If you have not received a response to your letter within two weeks, it is a good idea to follow up.

Please keep in mind that content previously published elsewhere may not meet Wikipedia's specific guidelines and policies. If you are not familiar with these policies and guidelines, please review especially our core policies. This will prepare you to deal with any other issues with the text that may arise.

Should you choose to rewrite the content rather than release it under the requisite license, please see above.

For a more complete description of clerks and their duties, as well as a list of active clerks, please see Wikipedia:Copyright problems/Clerks.

Copyright clerks are experienced editors on Wikipedia, especially with copyright policies and their enforcement. On this board, they are trusted to evaluate and close listings and request administrative actions when necessary.

For a more complete description of administrators on Wikipedia, please see Wikipedia:Administrators.

Any administrator may work the copyright problems board. This may involve evaluating listings personally or completing requests by clerks. Clerks are trusted in their work and their requests may be implemented without double-checking, although any administrator is welcome to review requests and discuss with the clerks in question.

Listings can be processed at any time by anyone, but are not formally closed until a clerk or administrator verifies that all problems are resolved. Pages listed for presumptive deletion stay open for a minimum of 7 days before being processed.

For advice for resolving listings, see Wikipedia:Copyright problems/Instructions (VRT agents, see section there).

{{CPC}} may be used to denote resolutions of listings by administrators, clerks and VRT agents.