Talk:NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

A caution to all who would submit personal photos of Mauna Kea
Wikimedia and Wikipedia require that photos be available for all uses, including commercial use. The University of Hawaii system prohibits photos taken within the Mauna Kea Science Area Reserve from being used commercially "or released for commercial use" unless a commercial film/photography permit was acquired before the photos were taken. In addition, if photos include any observatory buildings, permission for commercial use must be acquired from each observatory shown.

q.v.

While it is unlikely that the University has the time or interest to do anything about posting of "unauthorized" photos to Wikipedia, this apparently irreconcilable conflict between its policy and that of Wikimedia and Wikipedia is something Wikipedians should be aware of when considering submitting their personal photos of Mauna Kea.

I've worked on Mauna Kea for five years, most of it for the University of Hawaii, so I'm very familiar with their policies. I've never once gotten a permit for commercial photography, and as a result, I can't submit to Wikipedia "any" of the thousands of photos I have of the observatories.

I will encourage the appropriate people at each observatory to officially make photos available to Wikimedia/Wikipedia.

Hope this helps!

Dan (talk) 13:43, 24 August 2009 (UTC)