Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Just because something is "fair use" on a Wikipedia article in the U.S. does not mean it is fair use in another context. A downstream user's commercial use of content in a commercial setting may be illegal even if our noncommercial use is legal. Use in another country with different fair use and fair dealing laws may be illegal as well.
When non-free media files (images, videos, and audio clips) are used on Wikipedia, a justification for their usage, called a non-free use rationale (or use rationale or fair use rationale), must be presented in the file description page, explaining how the file is used in a way consistent with Wikipedia's non-free content criteria.
In short, Wikipedia media (with the exception of "fair use" media—see below) should be as "free" as Wikipedia's content—both to keep Wikipedia's own legal status secure and to allow as much re-use of Wikipedia content as possible. For example, Wikipedia can accept images under CC-BY-SA (Attribution-Share Alike) as a free license, but not CC ...
Media from a commercial source which are not the subject of sourced commentary may be deleted immediately under F7b. Non-free media which fail NFCC 1 (no free equivalent) may be deleted after being tagged as such for two days under F7c. Other media with invalid fair-use claims may be deleted after being tagged as such for seven days under F7d.
A copyright tag to claim fair use. Wikipedia's file upload function and wizard each help editors choose an appropriate tag. A list is below. Non-free images that meet Wikipedia's policy but do not fit into any of the categories below should use the tag {{Non-free fair use in|Article}}. A statement describing the source of the media.
Along with the general fair use rationale provided at the top of this page, covers of various media are thought to be "fair use" when used on Wikipedia to illustrate articles directly pertaining to the item of media in question, with reference to the fact that the image is a cover of a specific item of media. Along with the general rationale ...
As "fair use" is specific to the use that you contemplate it is best if your describe the fair use rationale for such specific use either in hidden text in the article or on the image description page. Remember what is fair use for Wikipedia may not be considered a fair use for your intended use of the content in another context.
The fair use policies date back to 2004, and were rewritten and renamed "non-free content" in April 2007. An example of early fair-use policy from September 2004 can be seen at this version of Wikipedia:Image description page (redirected in April 2006 to Help:Image page).