User:Shell Kinney/Image tagging

Image tagging is one of the more complicated things to learn on Wikipedia (just some of the templates Template messages/Image namespace). Ideally, images on Wikipedia should be copyleft,or what is usually referred to as "free". These are images that have fallen into the public domain or where the copyright holder allows the image to be re-used for any purpose.


 * Image copyright tags/Free licenses - The GFDL and certain Creative Commons licenses fall under "free" as well as images released into the public domain (i.e. the copyright holder releases all rights). These are fairly straightforward as the copyright holder is usually the uploader or has specified precisely which of these licenses to use.


 * Image copyright tags/Public domain - Images that have fallen into the public domain need a bit more scrutiny; some are in the public domain in their native country, but not in the US, others are public domain in the US but not elsewhere. Works of the US government are typically public domain (Image copyright tags/USA) as well as photographs or paintings where the author died more than 100 years ago.  If you browse the list, you can see there are many different variations.


 * Image copyright tags/Non-free - This is the most complex area. Certain images, such as logos or cd covers are integral to an article on the subject but will never be found as a "free" image.  In specific cases like these, Wikipedia allows the use of the images (Non-free content, Non-free content criteria) as long as they are accompanied by a suitable fair-use rationale (Non-free use rationale guideline, Category:Non-free use rationale templates).

There's a good FAQ at Media copyright questions and looking at the talk page and archives there can give you a lot of insight on the kinds of things that come up. This is one category that takes a lot of reading to really get a good handle on - feel free to ask any questions you think of!