PortlandWiki:Copyrights
PortlandWiki is a wiki, which in its simplest terms is a collaboratively editable website. For PortlandWiki, this means that, for the most part, anyone can edit anything on PortlandWiki. Anyone can correct a typo, anyone can improve wording, anyone can update out-of-date information, and anyone can relocate or change what they feel does not belong.
To assist in this open, collaboratively editable environment, it becomes necessary that all text content added to the wiki (with some exceptions) is freely licensed, so that others may easily copy, modify, and improve. Therefore, whenever you make an edit, you automatically agree to release that edit under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. In a few words, this license allows anyone to copy, modify, and adapt your content, as long as they give you credit (in PortlandWiki, you are automatically given credit via the page's "History" page) and release their own modifications and adaptations under a similar license.
Guidelines (evolving)
Any exceptions to using freely licensed (CC BY-SA 3.0) content should be made sparingly, and only when deemed absolutely necessary to accurately and sufficiently communicate the specifics of a particular PortlandWiki article. Content encumbered by onerous copyright restrictions is against the collaborative spirit of wiki.
Some legitimate uses of non-free content include:
- extended quotes of several sentences or more
- mission statements
- small, low-resolution image files (directly relevant to specific PortlandWiki article)
Public documents
PortlandWiki's current policy on posting public documents is that public documents are not covered by copyright law, although there is not complete clarity on this issue.[1]
Non-free text content
Occasionally, you may see some text inside a box that looks like this:
The example above is an exception to the rule. Occasionally a copyright holder (for example a professional writer, company, or institution) is generous enough to allow their content reproduced in PortlandWiki (where it is available for all to read for free), but doesn't want it to be changed. These wishes are respected, and such content is exempt from the default CC BY-SA 3.0 license. If you see this box on a page, do not edit its contents except to correct any mistakes in the transcription. If you see that someone else didn't understand and edited the contents, please change it back if you can, and explain why to the well-meaning editor.
If you would like to use this box for content that a copyright holder has given you permission to use in PortlandWiki (but does not want it to be altered), see Template:Copyrighted content, or refer to the example shown below.
Copyright content use: wiki markup code
Using the code below (for written copyright material)...
{{Copyrighted content | author = Author Name Here | text = Copyright text here.}}
...looks like this on PortlandWiki:
Media files (including images)
Since it is not strictly necessary for other contributors to collaboratively edit most media files, they may be used on PortlandWiki under more restrictive terms. Generally speaking, the minimum requirement for including files on PortlandWiki is that it is legal to do so. For example, low-resolution, non-replaceable images that qualify as fair use are ok for useful, non-decorative use. Also, any files that the copyright holder explicitly permits to be used on PortlandWiki are welcome.
We encourage more permissive licenses, for example CC-BY-SA (our standard text content license), but they are not strictly necessary. For a perspective on PortlandWiki's licensing from local photographer Aaron Hockley, see his weblog post.