Wikipedia:Upload/Uploadtext/en-internet

Uploading a file from a website

Use the following form to upload a file that you found on a website. To upload a file from a different source, please return to Wikipedia:Upload.

Please read this important message first

The vast majority of images on the internet are not appropriate for Wikipedia. Most content on the internet is copyrighted and the creator of the image has exclusive rights to use it. Wikipedia respects the copyrights of others – do not upload images that violate others' copyrights. Under some limited circumstances, it may be possible to use a non-free image under a claim of fair use. A non-free image should only be used if there is no reasonable expectation that a free image does or ever could exist, for example, corporate logos, album covers, and screenshots of DVDs.

What kinds of images can we use?

Wikipedia can use images that are licensed under a free license (such as Creative Commons Attribution) or that are in the public domain. See Wikipedia:Copyrights, Wikipedia:Image copyright tags, and Wikipedia:Image use policy for a full explanation of the licensing policy. In short, for an image to be considered "free" for Wikipedia purposes, the copyright holder must EXPLICITLY release it under an acceptable license – merely placing an image on a website or inviting users to download an image does NOT make it acceptable to use here.

If the image is copyrighted, can we ask for permission?

Wikipedia no longer accepts images that are licensed for "non-commercial" use, licensed only to Wikipedia, for which permission is required for reuse, or that do not permit derivative works to be created. There are several reasons for this policy, but the short version is that Wikipedia's mission is to provide free content and having images encumbered by restrictive licensing schemes runs counter to that mission. It may still be possible to use this image, but it will be necessary for the copyright holder to release the image into the public domain or release it under a free license, such as FAL or an appropriate Creative Commons license. For purposes of Wikipedia, a "free license" means one that permits anyone to reuse the image for any reason, including commercial purposes. Please see Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission for a sample letter of permission and instructions.

What about fair use?

Some non-free images may be used under a claim of fair use. This is only acceptable for images that are not replaceable, meaning that no free alternative could reasonably be created. In general, fair use should be used when the image itself is significant to the article, not merely what it depicts. In other words, a screenshot from a movie is acceptable to use when talking about the movie itself – it is not acceptable to use it to talk about the actress who happens to be in the picture. If in doubt, ask at Wikipedia talk:Copyrights/Can I use... before uploading the image! It is extremely important that your image have (1) the URL where you downloaded the image, (2) the name of the author or copyright holder, and (3) an explanation – called a "fair use rationale" for why you believe that this image should be considered fair use.