AfricanConservation

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I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, please see our help pages, and if you can't find what you are looking for there, please feel free to ask me on my talk page or place {{Help me}} on this page and someone will drop by to help. Again, welcome! UtherSRG (talk) 12:31, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Wikipedia and copyright

Hello AfricanConservation! Your additions to African buffalo have been removed in whole or in part, as they appear to have added copyrighted content without evidence that the source material is in the public domain or has been released by its owner or legal agent under a suitably free and compatible copyright license. (To request such a release, see Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission.) While we appreciate your contributions to Wikipedia, there are certain things you must keep in mind about using information from sources to avoid copyright and plagiarism issues.

• You can only copy/translate a small amount of a source, and you must mark what you take as a direct quotation with double quotation marks (") and cite the source using an inline citation. You can read about this at Wikipedia:Non-free content in the sections on "text". See also Help:Referencing for beginners, for how to cite sources here.
• Aside from limited quotation, you must put all information in your own words and structure, in proper paraphrase. Following the source's words too closely can create copyright problems, so it is not permitted here; see Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing. Even when using your own words, you are still, however, asked to cite your sources to verify the information and to demonstrate that the content is not original research.
• We have strict guidelines on the usage of copyrighted images. Fair use images must meet all ten of the non-free content criteria in order to be used in articles, or they will be deleted. To be used on Wikipedia, all other images must be made available under a free and open copyright license that allows commercial and derivative reuse.
• If you own the copyright to the source you want to copy or are a legally designated agent, you may be able to license that text so that we can publish it here. Understand, though, that unlike many other sites, where a person can license their content for use there and retain non-free ownership, that is not possible at Wikipedia. Rather, the release of content must be irrevocable, to the world, into either the public domain (PD) or under a suitably free and compatible copyright license. Please see Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials.
• Also note that Wikipedia articles may not be copied or translated without attribution. If you want to copy or translate from another Wikipedia project or article, you must follow the copyright attribution steps described at Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia. See also Help:Translation#License requirements.

It's very important that contributors understand and follow these practices, as policy requires that people who persistently do not must be blocked from editing. If you have any questions about this, please ask them here on this page, or leave a message on my talk page. Thank you. Donald Albury 13:50, 21 January 2024 (UTC)

Hi, the added image is not an infringement of copyright. An email has now been sent to permissions-commons@wikimedia.org ([Ticket#: 2024012110005088]) from the domain of the "copyright holder" to clarify this. I trust the image will be reinstated once verified and confirmed. AfricanConservation (talk) 19:02, 21 January 2024 (UTC)

Wikipedia and Commons both take copyright very seriously. It is unfortunately all too common for users to upload some image they found on the Internet and tag it as their own work. If you personally took the photo in question, then you will be able to establish that, and I apologize for the accusation. Donald Albury 00:00, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, and I did take these photos personally. I have sent the email as mentioned above however, given that these photos are not simply marked for deletion, but rather have already been taken down, will Wikipedia and Commons be able to reinstate them once attending to the email or will I need to reupload them? AfricanConservation (talk) 04:21, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

You need to ask that at Commons. I am not active enough on Commons to know the details of how that will work. Once the photo is restored on Commons, then it can be used on the English Wikipedia. Donald Albury 15:42, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

Note also that you need to do this with each uploaded file; a single request for a single file doesn't broadly cover other files you have uploaded. This may be why some files have the relevant tag that saves them, while others were deleted. - UtherSRG (talk) 15:58, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, I will do so along with future uploads! AfricanConservation (talk) 16:12, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

Are you associated with Working With Wildlife? 331dot (talk) 14:10, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Images taken at Working with Wildlife in the Kalahari AfricanConservation (talk) 14:15, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

That's not what I asked; I asked if you are associated with this organization. 331dot (talk) 14:18, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Yes, I monitor endangered species at Working with Wildlife and given that I am out in the field 365 days a year, I have been fortunate to get some amazing wildlife images. I have decided to release the copyright of some images for them to be used as better images on Wikipedia. I am not posting my personal instagram or facebook details to try gain followers. Use them, or don't use them. Hopefully these help AfricanConservation (talk) 14:27, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

You will need to declare, at a minimum, a conflict of interest(click for instructions), on your user page. If you are employed by the organization in any capacity, the Terms of Use require you to make the stricter paid editing disclsoure.

There is no problem with the images themselves- you uploaded and licensed them properly- but with every image you are putting a reference to your organization in the caption as if you are advertising it. There isn't really any other reason to call out the name of your organization. 331dot (talk) 14:33, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll read through that now. However, insofar as reasons to mention where the photos were taken, all the previous images mention where they were taken. The previous lion pictures both mentioned that they were taken at Okonjima. Again, I am the photographer myself, and I am not linking or referencing my photography or photographic pages in any way, merely where the pictures were taken as per every other wildlife image on Wikipedia AfricanConservation (talk) 14:38, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

That nature reserve has an article about it(leaving aside its issues); there is no article about your organizations' reserve. 331dot (talk) 14:40, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Added the name of the reserve to each photograph as should be acceptable. This is merely the name of the reserve where these photos were taken, as is no different to all other wildlife images on Wikipedia. I have no affiliation with the reserve. Apologies for the confusion. AfricanConservation (talk) 15:02, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

You said that you "monitor endangered species at Working with Wildlife" and that you were "out in the field 365 days a year". This makes it sounds like you work there or are a volunteer there. Are you just there as a visitor?

Other photos mention the reserve they were taken in because the reserve has an article- this one doesn't have an article, at least not yet. Furthermore, the WWW website advertises travel packages so calling out specifically that these pictures were taken in the reserve advertises the reserve. 331dot (talk) 16:12, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

I volunteer doing wildlife monitoring at Working with Wildlife, and as it's website explains on the pricing page, guests do not pay to join on monitoring. There is therefore no incentive for me to mention the location as wildlife monitoring is happening 365 days of the year with or without guests.

Again, I am not affiliated with the reserve, and advertising the reserve is of no financial benefit to me. So the only thing it does by mentioning the name of the reserve in these photos is giving it the credit it deserves for the wildlife it has, as is par with all the other wildlife images on Wikipedia mentioning where the photos are taken. AfricanConservation (talk) 16:25, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

If you volunteer there, you unquestionably have a conflict of interest and need to disclose that. That's not a close call. It's not paid, but it's still a COI.

I think that you are missing my point- it would be fine to mention the name of the reserve(is it also called WWW?) if there were an article about it. The image that yours replaced had a caption with a link to the article about that particular reserve. Absent an article about the reserve, identifying it as being taken in South Africa is sufficient and succinct(as WP:CAPTION calls for). 331dot (talk) 16:43, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

No, the reserve is called !Khamab Kalahari Reserve, not Working with Wildlife. I volunteer my services for the latter not the former.

I do not volunteer for !Khamab Kalahari Reserve nor do I have any affiliation with !Khamab Kalahari Reserve. Any reserve mentioned on any picture stands to gain indirectly through advertisment. I, as the photographer and copyright holder, do not stand to gain from this nor am I affiliated with the reserve's name I am mentioning. I am simply trying to state where the photo was taken, which by default is giving much deserved credit to the reserve. I have seen many photos that mention such without it being a linked article, so I'm not sure why it's specifically a problem with these.

In saying that, how can I make an article for the reserve as that will solve the problem then? Given that it's the largest private big-5 reserve in South Africa, it probably deserves an article. AfricanConservation (talk) 18:03, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

You were writing "Working With Wildlife" as a location, not Kahmab Kalahari Reserve. The image titles also seem to use WWW as a location(the image title is not particularly relevant to this, just saying). Maybe that's the source of my confusion. So you volunteer for WWW and take pictures in the Kahmab Kalahari Reserve? I have much less of an issue with using the actual name of the reserve(a la Acadia National Park) rather than the name of an organization that markets travel. 331dot (talk) 18:37, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Yes, you are correct, and I too can see the confusion. I do also see the potential for conflict of interest when using WWW so that is not necessary as it was not my intention.

Yes, I am happy to keep it to using the name of the reserve only. AfricanConservation (talk) 18:58, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

If you want to draft an article about the reserve, you may use the Article Wizard. 331dot (talk) 18:39, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Before you do, please read WP:42 and WP:BACKWARDS. Both are easy reads that outline both what's required for our articles, and highly productive method for getting there. - UtherSRG (talk) 18:42, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, I will do so! AfricanConservation (talk) 18:58, 23 January 2024 (UTC)