Wikipedia:Copyright problems/Clerks

The copyright clerks are editors who assist in maintaining the copyright boards, perform housekeeping tasks, and assessing requests. Clerks also evaluate, open, and close cases at Contributor copyright investigations.

Clerks
Clerks are chosen by consensus by administrators and current clerks in copyright cleanup. Discussions are held at Wikipedia talk:Copyright problems/Clerks. They ensure the smooth operation of the CP page and perform the following tasks:


 * Evaluating listings to determine the copyright status of content and if it fails plagiarism or copyright policy
 * Content may also be evaluated as being public domain, compatibly licensed, or reverse copying
 * Evaluating if repeated issues require a contributor copyright investigation and requesting as needed
 * Addressing articles tagged close paraphrasing or copy-paste
 * Cleaning articles tagged with copyvio as necessary
 * Marking listings that require the use of administrative tools so that any volunteer administrator may take action

CP clerks have the following qualities:

While CP clerks are permitted to remove copyvio tags from articles after investigations, CP Clerks do not have any special authority over the general community; the community may request administrator review of a CP closure if the handling is in dispute. Clerks are expected to remain civil in communicating with other users about issues. Just as with the volunteer administrators who work at Wikipedia, they are not expected to be experts in copyright law and are encouraged to seek feedback when encountering copyright situations outside of their experience.
 * They are users who are in good standing within the community, and are experienced with Wikipedia's copyright cleanup processes.
 * They have a good working knowledge of Wikipedia policy, especially in the area of copyright.
 * They are trusted by the administrators who volunteer in copyright cleanup in their knowledge and judgment, and the administrators should not feel that they must continually check over their work.

Trainee clerks
A good first step in obtaining experience to become a clerk is volunteering at CopyPatrol. The tasks are slightly different, however CopyPatrol allows for hands-on checking for copyright violations in a special interface. Furthermore, having worked at a contributor copyright investigation may also provide good experience for clerking. Anyone may request to become a trainee clerk on this page's discussion page. Users in good standing with experience in copyright areas may ask any current clerk to be a trainee clerk. New clerks are selected on an as needed basis; it is not unreasonable that clerk nominees who are otherwise knowledgeable and in good standing be turned down if there is not current need.

Trainee clerks perform any roles delegated by the clerk's trainer, including the removal of Copyvio templates and the closure of listings involving Copyvio.

Clerk review
To ensure that clerks are operating within expected parameters, their work may be subjected to periodic review by a group of administrators experienced in copyright cleanup on Wikipedia. Perfection is not expected; what is being evaluated is whether or not the clerk is still demonstrating the requisite qualities. Clerks who are not may be mentored. Clerks who persistently make problematic closures of listings or otherwise violate decorum may be asked to cease contributing here.

Admin patrollers
Please note that administrators are still required to interact with copyright problems where clerks have marked a need for administrator action, including deletion and revision deletion. Administrators are not required to follow clerk recommendations for deletion, but it is requested that administrators engage clerks in conversation before unilaterally restoring content that a clerk has judged to be problematic (unless new information has come to light). While there is always some subjectivity in copyright work, clerks are expected to be experienced in Wikipedia's approach to copyright matters, and in our goal to create free content we may sometimes have to reach informed consensus on disputes or (in particularly complex matters) consult with the Wikimedia Foundation's attorneys.

Please see Copyright problems/Advice for admins for general instructions for administrators on how to handle copyright problems.

Below are some admins that are skilled in copyright issues:



Advice for clerks
A detailed document setting out recommended practices for clerks is available at Copyright problems/Advice for clerks.

Userbox
For a topicon, add CCI Clerk topicon to your userpage.