User talk:Eep²

Hello, Eep², welcome to Wikisource! Thanks for your interest in the project; we hope you'll enjoy the community and your work here. If you need help, see our help pages (especially Adding texts and Wikisource's style guide). You can discuss or ask questions from the community in general at the Scriptorium. The Community Portal lists tasks you can help with if you wish. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on my talk page.

User:Eep²/Bob Dobbs diary

I am not entirely sure what this project is, but it appears to likely be a copyright violation. The website you link to as the original has a copyright notice. Please check out the copyright policy and let me know if you have any information that contradicts the website.--BirgitteSB 19:05, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

This is a chronological work-in-progress version (hence why it's a subpage of mine and not a main Wikisource article yet) and has more entries not on his website. Permission was given by the author, Bob Dobbs, in an email and acknowledged on his forum (he is "fivebodied"). Eep² 20:29, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

It isn't just a matter of his permission. It has to be free content, not just permissible for Wikisource; check out the copyright policy for the full explanation. If we can get this released under a free license then it also has to meet the rest of the inclusion policy besides the copyright issue. I honestly am not sure what this is, so I am not saying it doesn't meet the policy. I just am not sure what it is.--BirgitteSB 21:17, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, obviously it's free or he would not have given me permission. It's a diary so that falls under "documentary sources" in the inclusion policy. Again, this is a diary of Bob Dobbs from 1935-1998. Eep² 21:42, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

The fact that he gave you permission does not mean it is free content. Free content means anyone (not just Wikisource) can take the content and use it, modify it, sell it at a profit, or basically do what they like with it without needing to obtain his permission. If this is what he wishes to have done with his copyrighted material, he needs to explicitly release it under a free license (i.e GFDL) or explicitly release it into the public domain. Have him email his explicit release to permissions@wikimedia.org from a email address that can be traced to him. i.e. not a gmail account). But if he only gives permission for Wikisource to host this or if he only gives permission to distribute it without giving permission for modifications; it will not be acceptable to this project.--BirgitteSB 13:12, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

I have mentioned it to him. Incidentally, GFDL doesn't mean anyone can modify it: "Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed." Eep² 14:28, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

The license does permit modifications of works licensed under the GFDL. What you quoted is only about the text of the license (which is incidentally not licensed under the GFDL). I know that is stupid and confusing, but it is what it is. Ask around if you don't trust my interpretation. I have learned from the school of Trial and Error which makes my confidence in my understanding much stronger than my ability to explain it to others.--BirgitteSB 17:20, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

OK, Bob says he tried the email address (permissions@wikimedia.org) but that it didn't work and requires an SMTP and address (email, I guess). I'm not sure what that means exactly. I just tried with Outlook Express and it seems fine. —Eep² 20:40, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Since I haven't heard anything more in a while and an editor has raised questions about this material belonging here, I have put this up at proposed deletions. Please join the discussion there.--BirgitteSB 13:45, 24 July 2007 (UTC)