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Wikimedia Commons reaches 400,000 Files

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thats-a-lotta-wiki dept.

Brushen writes "Wikimedia Commons, a website built to be a repository of free, public domain, or GFDL images, sounds, and animations, has reached 400,000 files this week. Launched in September 2004 by the Wikimedia Foundation, the creators of Wikipedia, the organization intended for it to be a source of images that could be used in the rest of the organization's projects. As well, recently they've had a best picture comeptition."

6 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Impressive, but... by BertieBaggio · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How many of the media files have been taken despite being under copyright? I've seen the obvious and/or controversial images removed -- pretty promptly in most cases. But how about an image taken from a website with no watermark taken from a website where the webmaster has no time to pursue misappropriation.

    Although if they truly have 400 000 original images that have been validly released for them to use, more power to them.

    --
    If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
    1. Re:Impressive, but... by teslatug · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You do realise that even works licensed under the GFDL and CC are copyrighted don't you? Which means that a large chunk are copyrighted. Of course, there are public domain ones too.

    2. Re:Impressive, but... by syousef · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Did you know that video or photography taken on private property or of private property requires the permission of the owner before you can exhibit them?

      Have a look at this - one of a collection taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom:
      http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Varanus_ko modoensis2.jpg

      Do you think the owner got permission from Disney to put this up on Wikimedia? I know when I tried to get permission to use photos from Sydney's Taronga Zoo in Australia I was shot down in flames and told they'd persue anyone violating their IP vigorously.

      I had some awesome shots I wanted to make a calendar from. I'm digusted and haven't visited the zoon since. I don't agree with this law at all, but it is the way it is.

      I got the impression they wouldn't go after someone putting the pictures on a web page, but I'm sure if they found their way into a public library like wikimedia. I'm sure other places are the same. I've enquired and National Parks and Wildlife here in Australia are the same. They require you to take out public liability insurance and pay ridiculous rates to film commercially (read anything where you might sell it or put it in a library). Similarly the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority has rules and regulations about filming and requires licenses for commerical use of shots of the harbour.

      Frankly, I think organisations world wide like to shoot themselves in the foot when they get protective of their IP. The system is so damn broken I wish it would just go away. I use to spend whole days shooting at zoos. Now I very rarely bother since I know I can just show friends and that's it. I thought about doing some pro photography on the side, but realised that if I ever sold a picture I could be locked out of shooting for myself privately in a number of places. Who loses out? Me? Sure. But also the damn companies who insist on hoarding their IP, and who I no longer bother to patronize.

      --
      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  2. When will the first lawsuit hit? by BeDoper+Guy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    400,000 files seems like an awful lot of licenses to verify. Having said that, this is a real boon to graphic artists, 3D animators and the like. Gotta love that CC license.

    --
    You Need To BeDoper
    1. Re:When will the first lawsuit hit? by typical · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't believe that this is true. I remember reading something about how, while something like the Mona Lisa may not be copyrighted, photographs of the work are, and whoever owns that classic work can prevent anyone but one person from taking a picture of it.

      --
      Any program relying on (nontrivial) preemptive multithreading will be buggy.
  3. More creative commons... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In related news, the Geograph project has 108,000 CC-licensed photos now.