Template talk:Non-free USGov-USPS stamp

Clarify fair use
Not sure where to ask this question, but every stamp in Category:USPS large-letter greetings stamps is used to illustrate the subject of the stamp not the stamp itself.

Are the bullet points: AND
 * to illustrate the stamp in question
 * on the English-language Wikipedia

Or is it: OR
 * to illustrate the stamp in question
 * on the English-language Wikipedia

Many of the copyrighted stamps that use this template are using the stamps to illustrate things appearing in the stamp's design, not the stamp itself despite the words on the template, is this proper usage simply because it is on the English-language Wikipedia? Thanks, --Dual Freq 13:59, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Policy
The text of this template suggests that USPS images are easier to justify as fair use than other images, but policy says they have to pass the same NFCC criteria as everything else.

Either text or policy should change. Example DRV where this is relevant: Deletion review/Log/2009 June 26. &mdash; Charles Stewart (talk) 14:43, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Why 1978?
This template says "This image is of a United States postage stamp produced in 1978 or later." Why 1978? I know that the 1976 Copyright Act went into effect in 1978, but that seems to be a coincidence. If the idea is that stamps that were produced when the Post Office was part of the U.S. Government are PD under section 105, the transition from being a branch of the U.S. GOvernment to being a separate corporation occurred with the Postal Reorganization Act in 1970, not 1978.

So why 1978? TJRC (talk) 01:29, 8 June 2010 (UTC)


 * U.S. Stamps published prior to the reoranganization of the USPS (Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, effective July 1, 1971) are public domain as U.S. Government works. It was intended that the USPS would be able to hold copyright in stamps from this point forward, but this wasn't clarified until the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 (effective January 1, 1978). See .  But it turns out this is all irrelevant, as any work published before January 1, 1978 is public domain if it was published without copyright notice.  Since all U.S. stamps published from July 1, 1971 to  January 1, 1978 were published without a copyright notice on them, they're all public domain.


 * In theory some U.S. stamps published from 1978 to 1 March 1989 might also be public domain, as works published in this period without notice and without subsequent registration within 5 years are public domain.  However, I haven't checked to see if the USPS registered the copyright for its stamps in this period (but I would be very surprised to learn that they had not). —RP88 (talk) 18:52, 15 June 2010 (UTC)