User:CopoCop/Copyrights

Wikipedia's copyright policy is among its fundamental policies, and yet policies regarding text-based copyright, which are needed for everyday editing, are buried in technical detail. This policy contains the bare minimum about text-based copyright issues that every editor needs to know.

Copying text into Wikipedia
The current copyright policy allows an editor to directly copy material into Wikipedia only if that editor is in a position to release the material under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA-3.0). This means that you are allowed to insert text into Wikipedia only if you satisfy one of the following conditions: Whenever you make a direct copy of external text, it is essential to clearly indicate that you did not write it yourself, where you obtained the text and why you feel you have a right to use it.
 * you hold the copyright to the material because it is your own creative expression, or
 * you acquired the material from a source that allows licensing under CC-BY-SA-3.0; in particular, it must allow commercial reuse and derivative works.

Quoting and Fair Use
Material from non-CC-BY-SA sources can be included as quotations under the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law according to the guidelines for non-free content which has the following requirements on the quoted text:
 * It is attributed and used verbatim.
 * Any alterations are clearly marked.
 * It is brief. Extensive quotation of copyrighted text is prohibited.