Forum:Copyright enforcement

Okay guys, really, time to pull the plug. We all say we want to strive for a better wiki and be as good as we can be (okay, so maybe not is those words). Well the time has come to put our feet forward on copyright enforcement; I'm not talking about licensed works (Star Wars canon, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Dune, Battlestar Galactic, etc), I will not push for that right now. I am talking about fan made stuff.

We are all hypocrites (or at least some of us) when we get pissy that our fanon even gets linked to by someone else, even if (rarely) by accident. We go bananas somebody deliberately starts using our fanon characters in their work and makes up their own stories without permission, whether or not they know the rules. We even have a clause about it in our editing policy and some recent forum (the name escapes me) about fanon stealing and what it is. Well, here on the wiki, everything is licensed under GFDL; so, unless your work originates with a personally licensed work (like mine with this Creative Commons license), your work is legally free to be taken by others. Technically you are writing up at your own risk.

However the same does not apply to other fan fiction, like fan films, or fan art (even not of Star Wars). Those do not originate on the wiki here and are not under GFDL licensing, nor will they be unless the author(s) decide to do so. They are copyrighted by their creators. The images, characters, everything. Of course with disclaimers and credit to George Lucas, who has allowed users to write, create, envision their own fan works as long as nothing illegal (i.e. profit) comes from it. So, what's the point of this you ask? We need to enforce the protection and legality of the copyrights of all artists, writers, visionaries, etc. and of their works. This was prompted by a conversation on this image talk page, where a user is clearly ignorant of copyright processes.

So, what we all need to be aware of so that we are not ignorant is licenses and copyrighted work are not for free use; just because something is on the internet does not mean it is yours to use at your will. The administrators specifically, since they have the power to delete these images, need to help me out in this cause. We need to root out these images and delete them from the wiki unless someone has specific permission (as Brandon Rhea got for Image:Eden.JPG from the artist). Again, this does not apply to licensed works, like X-Men or Star Wars stuff. This is about fan created stuff. How would you like if others just used your fanon as their own and said it was fair use, when in fact it was not?

This isn't a proposal, for one, this is already law (copyright law, yo) and needs to be enforced. This is also part of the editing policy, basically, because you are stealing others' fanon/fan work without permission. Sure you may think that only applies to the wiki itself, but really, it doesn't. You can't just go around stealing fan works. Okay then. This applies to images that are taken from deviantART, CGSociety, other fan works (their website or otherwise) and the like. There is likely many more fan sites and fan works out there that are being taken by users here, Star Wars-based or not.

What I am asking if that you all please participate because the stealing has to stop. If you are really that desperate for an image or really like one, ask for permission to use it. It doesn't take much effort other than sending over an eMail or the like. Seriously. Please, any admin willing to help notify me here. Below, in the header beneath this, I will paste links to questionable or unauthorized use of images, with a reason for why it is so. Then, an admin (since he/she can bahleete) can take action from there.

Thank you. And if I seem relentless or like an ass about this, sorry, but I really care about copyrights and would hate to see someone stealing my images from here or my deviantART page or my YouTube work and then claim fair use or permission without really having either. It's breaking the law. –Victor  ( talk page ) 20:40, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

List of images

 * Image:Dark_Jedi.jpg – Stolen from the Italian fan film Dark Resurrection.
 * Image:Sarrahban.jpg – Stolen from Star Wars: Revelations.
 * Image:KI Crosus-class Personal Cruiser.jpg – Stolen from Star Wars: Revelations.
 * Image:Lord Drown.jpg – Stolen from Dark Resurrection.
 * Image:Carol mother.jpg – Stolen form Dark Resurrection.