User:Punctured Bicycle/NFCP


 * See also: User:Punctured Bicycle/NFCP flaws

The primary goal of Wikipedia's policy for non-free content is to protect our mission to produce an encyclopedia that is perpetually free for unlimited distribution, modification and application by all users in all media ("non-free content" means copyrighted material lacking a free content license). This goal could best be met by completely disallowing all material that is not free; many Wikipedias in other languages allow no non-free content at all. Another goal of our mission, however, is to produce a quality encyclopedia, so the English Wikipedia permits a limited amount of non-free content under strictly defined circumstances. This policy embodies a compromise between these two goals.

Non-free content may be used on the English Wikipedia under fair use only where all 10 of the following criteria are met. These criteria are based on the four fair-use factors, the goal of creating a free encyclopedia, and the need to minimize legal exposure.


 * 1) Legal guidelines are followed. Non-free content is used only if the use is defendable under U.S. fair use guidelines, to be judged as a whole.
 * 2) Purpose and character of use. The use is for purposes like criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. The use is of a non-commercial character.
 * 3) Nature of work. The work used is of a nature that is reasonably open to fair use. For example, compare the use of a reference work like a dictionary to the use of a newswire photograph of a recent trivial event.
 * 4) Extent of use. The amount taken from the original work, relative to its whole and to the article that uses it, is as low as possible. Low- rather than high-resolution content is used; short rather than long excerpts are used. The significance of what is taken, relative to the original and to the article that uses it, is also as low as possible.
 * 5) Effect of use on value of work. The use does not infringe on the copyright holder's ability to exploit their original work. For instance, by acting as a direct market substitute for the original work. Courts indicate that this is the most important consideration.
 * 6) No free equivalent. Non-free content is used only where no free equivalent is available or could be created that would generally serve the same encyclopedic purpose. If non-free content can be transformed into free material, this is done instead of using a fair-use defense. Non-free content is always replaced with a freer alternative if one of acceptable quality is available. "Acceptable quality" means a quality sufficient to serve the encyclopedic purpose. As a quick test, ask yourself: "Can this content be replaced by free content, while still having the same effect?" If the answer is yes, then the content probably does not meet this criterion.
 * 7) Significance. Non-free content contributes significantly to an article (e.g., it identifies the subject of an article, or illustrates specific, relevant points or sections in the text); it does not serve a purely decorative purpose.
 * 8) Minimal use. As little non-free content as possible is used in an article. Multiple items are not used if one will suffice.
 * 9) Content. Non-free content meets general Wikipedia content requirements, including the image use policy.
 * 10) One-article minimum. Non-free content is used in at least one article.
 * 11) Restrictions on location. Non-free content is used only in article namespaces; it is not used on templates (including stub templates and navigation boxes) or on user pages. (To prevent categories from displaying thumbnails, add __NOGALLERY__ to it; images are linked, not inlined, from talk pages when they are a topic of discussion.)
 * 12) Previous publication. Non-free content has been published outside Wikipedia.
 * 13) Image description page. The image or media description page contains the following.
 * 14) * (a) Proper attribution of the source of the material, and attribution of the copyright holder if different from the source.
 * 15) *(b) An appropriate fair-use tag indicating which Wikipedia policy provision permitting the use is claimed. A list of image tags is at Image copyright tags/Non-free content.
 * 16) * (c) The name of each article in which fair use is claimed for the item, and a fair use rationale for the item, as explained at Fair use rationale guideline. The rationale is presented in clear, plain language, and is relevant to the article.