Commons:Requests for comment/Merging all history fron imported files
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Problem[edit]
Hello, I want to address a problem with files that are imported from other wikis (like enwiki, dewiki, etc.). Attribution is legally required to be in the history (see w:Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia § Attribution is required for copyright); for licenses like the GFDL (see GFDL, section 4-I)[1]. Many files have been sloppily copied over, with no upload log from the original wiki, often just copying and pasting the original wiki's source URL in the source and re-uploading the image to Commons. This is a potential license violation.
For example, see this file. Rather than using an actual FileImporter tool, it has been sloppily reuploaded (it was originally reuploaded with no wikitext!), with no original upload log. This is a problem, as discussed above.
In other words, many images have been "cut and paste moved" from other wikis. In my opinion, we need to find a way to
1) Retrieve the original upload log (Quite hard since the original files were probably deleted on the home wiki.)
2) Add it to Commons either:
a) Directly to the history or
b) Using {{Original upload log}}
This will probably involve the creation of a maintenance category. --Matr1x-101 {user page - talk with me :) - contribs!} 23:15, 12 December 2022 (UTC)
- ↑ [Section 4: Modifications, Clause I:] Preserve the section Entitled "History", Preserve its Title, and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page.
Discussion[edit]
Attribution is not legally required to be in the history. All that is required is that the file is attributed "in any reasonable manner". GFDL is a nonsense license for images, which is why we did the whole license migration thing back in 2009. Strictly following the GFDL for images is impossible because it's a software documentation license. Regardless, the section of the GFDL you are quoting is for modifications, not for rehosting. My opinion is that the problem is not a problem. Nosferattus (talk) 16:03, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
- I support the idea of documenting the history of imported files using upload logs and page creation logs. Admins on source wikis can provide history of file description pages. A bot can be requested to do it at Commons:Bots/Work requests. Sloppy uploaders can be warned for not providing sufficient evidence. — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 21:55, 20 December 2022 (UTC)