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Latest comment: 7 years ago5 comments3 people in discussion
I have received an e-mail from an employee in the Band's Government Affairs Office asking me to look at this article. Looking at this article's history, I see that recently User:C.Fred and User:Makwa49 have started something that looks like a possible edit war. After confirming the contents in the edit by Makwa49 is copyright-free, I have reverted edits by C.Fred. After my reversal and other minor edits were put in place, my edit was reversed by C.Fred as well. At this point, it would appear to violate the three-revert rule (3RR). Looking at the comments left on my User talk page, I see that C.Fred's reason for edit reversals is that the website that was found containing the language used on this article is marked as being copyrighted by the tribal government. I again communicated with the Band's Government Affairs Office. They were able to confirm the actual language of the Chief Executive's biography, has been vetted and approved by Chief Executive, but the approved language itself is not copyrighted. This language that the Government Affairs Office uses and distributes through their Media Relations does end up in publications that are copyrighted. This does cause great amount of confusion for editors such as C.Fred who cannot readily verify edits, other than what is found, in this case, on a copyrighted website.
So, the question becomes, as the language that is used is copyright-free, but the electronic source material (the Band's official website) that can be found is copyrighted, but in various print materials that are widely circulated that may or may not be copyrighted found within 100-miles of where the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is located also contains this copyright-free language. How do we resolve this situation. Please discuss. CJLippert (talk) 00:18, 3 November 2015 (UTC)Reply
@CJLippert: The easiest solution is to have somebody from the band, who is authorized to address the situation, contact the Volunteer Response Team via email and state that the text is, unequivocally and irrevocably, under a free license (Creative Commons, GFDL, or public domain). Once a VRT member handles the donation, they'll note it here. The text will still be subject to editing (and likely will be, preferably by independent editors), but it at least means we can use the text. In the current situation, we cannot.
Wikipedia policies are to err on the side of the caution with respect to copyright—and removal of copyright violations is an exemption to 3RR.
One other note: the version lifted from the band's website does not mention Benjamin's removal from her post, so there are also neutral point of view issues that have to be addressed. That's secondary, though, and can be addressed through editing; the use of material that is apparently under copyright is a bright-line issue. —C.Fred (talk) 01:06, 3 November 2015 (UTC)Reply
Per the directions at WP:Copyright problems, I have left the text in the article, but it's now behind a {{copyvio}} template, and the article has been listed for additional help. Obviously, an email to the VRT could clear the situation up. —C.Fred (talk) 01:18, 3 November 2015 (UTC)Reply
Sorry folks, I was taking a much needed wiki-break. I have passed the word onto the Band's Government Affairs office and have them work with. As for brandishing me, please keep in mind that I am a seasoned editor. Please refrain from such defamatory language when speaking with any registered editor who has edit counts that span many years. CJLippert (talk) 17:19, 16 December 2016 (UTC)Reply
For legal reasons, we cannot accept copyrighted text or images borrowed from other web sites or published material; such additions will be deleted. Contributors may use copyrighted publications as a source of information, and, if allowed under fair use, may copy sentences and phrases, provided they are included in quotation marks and referenced properly. The material may also be rewritten, providing it does not infringe on the copyright of the original orplagiarize from that source. Therefore, such paraphrased portions must provide their source. Please see our guideline on non-free text for how to properly implement limited quotations of copyrighted text. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously, and persistent violators will be blocked from editing. While we appreciate contributions, we must require all contributors to understand and comply with these policies. Thank you. Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 15:32, 28 November 2015 (UTC)Reply
