Template talk:PD-USGov-Military

Adding DoD imaging ethics policy to template

DefenseImagery.mil has a policy concerning imaging ethics that covers conditions of handling photographic and video images obtained from its sites. In light of this information, the line in the PD-USGov-Military template that mentions the copyright policy should be amended to include the imaging ethics policy:

See the DoD copyright policy and position on imaging ethics concerning photographic and video images. See message below.

I thought that should mention this to point to specific guidance from DoD for those users who are thinking of editing DoD images in any way. →Lwalt ^♦ talk 05:52, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

Can such images be allowed on Commons? As I know only images are allowed on Commons which can be modified without any restriction on how much you modify. Thereby such images must not have to be uploaded or deleted.

--D-Kuru (talk) 01:24, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I'm only pointing out what I found to be guidelines stated by DefenseImagery.mil about how users should handle its images. For example, DoD does permit cropping, editing and enlargement of its original images, but its guidelines are explicit as to what not to do. Consider the following statement from its imaging ethics guidelines:

The use of cropping, editing, or enlargement to selectively isolate, link, or display a portion of a photographic or video image is not considered alteration. However, cropping, editing, or image enlargement that has the effect of misrepresenting the facts or circumstances of the event or object as originally recorded constitutes a prohibited alteration (emphasis mine).

This statement puts users of its images on notice that DoD images should not be altered in a way to foster misrepresentation of a situation depicted in a photo or video image, which is too easy to do by some who push POV that sometimes slips under the radar. Therefore, I recommend including the DoD statement for imaging ethics as a public notice to all users.

About the view on copyright—copyright for DoD images does not apply here since the images are in the public domain; only alterations of its images are germane in this case...that's why I suggest adding the imaging ethics provision to the template. →Lwalt ^♦ talk 20:56, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

You can't release an image into the public doamin but still have rights reserved. "Public domain" means all rights released. It's like you set your car somewhere place the car-keys in it and a sheet says "Do whatever you want". After some guy crashed your car you say that that wasn't the way you thought about the whole thing. That's what I want to say is that you can't release an image or a video file into the public domain while you wrote in some text below about some sort of weak ND licence. Moreover every file (except Wikimedia related stuff) has to be editable without any restriction on how much you are allowed to edit.

If dod images can't be edited in every way they have to be removed from Commons.

--D-Kuru (talk) 00:17, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

DoD photographic and video images are in the public domain and those images can be edited, cropped or enlarged by a user. You must have misunderstood the portion of the policy that I posted above that comes directly from the imaging ethics DoD page. ("The use of cropping, editing, or enlargement to selectively isolate, link, or display a portion of a photographic or video image is not considered alteration"....) Changes to images, including enlargements, editing (improving image quality) and cropping (cutting the image to focus on a specific person or thing), are permitted as long as the user of that image does not alter it in a way that materially and negatively misrepresent the event. And...yes, DoD images are properly included in Wikipedia Commons as they are in the public domain. →Lwalt ^♦ talk 02:24, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

I don't think that I got something wrong. Maybe I just used the wrong words. If the text says "The use of cropping, editing, or enlargement to selectively isolate, link, or display a portion of a photographic [...] is not considered alteration" it is some sort of ND licence (see {{Nonderivative}})

The text says that you are only allowed to edit the image as long as they are improvements and not debasements. That is not compatible with public domain. Even you could discuss the word "is not considered alteration" the same clause below says "However, cropping, editing, or image enlargement that has the effect of misrepresenting the facts or circumstances of the event or object as originally recorded constitutes a prohibited alteration." This information is presented on defenseimagery.mil and not on defenselink.mil where the text says "All of these files are in the public domain unless otherwise indicated."

To say it again: You can't release an image into the public domain with restrictions.

--D-Kuru (talk) 16:25, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Hey, what do you guys think "public domain" means? How can you have copyright restrictions when there is no copyright? Think. Rocket000 (talk) 04:06, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Here's what I did to change the template message that's more in line with DoD policy, esp. since no copyright exists for the images:

This image is a work of a U.S. Military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. See DoD guidelines for imaging ethics concerning the use of its photographic and video images. →Lwalt ^♦ talk 21:37, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Department of War?

This template is likely to be used for historical images produced by the Department of Defense's predecessor, the Department of War. Is that correct? Should that be noted in the template text? Dominic (talk) 17:30, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

Where does it say images by U.S. Military or Department of Defense employee are in the public domain?

Everyone keeps pointing to this this link that supposedly talks about DoD images being in the public domain but it doesn't say anything about public domain or copyright free. In fact this link says there are restrictions to DoD images: "If imagery, either still or motion, is to be used for commercial advertisement, marketing or promotional activites or communications, follow the guidelines in this section. Additionally, the proposed layout with its accompanying copy must be approved by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, as described in this section." Where does the DoD say their images are copyright free? -- Esemono (talk) 14:01, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

See en:Copyright status of work by the U.S. government and specifically 17 U.S.C. § 101:

Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government [...]

The US military is an agency of the US federal government, thus their works are in the public domain.

This says nothing however about whether other restrictions apply, based on personality rights or some special law regarding military imagery. -- Duesentrieb ⇌ 09:26, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

The US military is an agency of the US federal government but their website appears to say that restrictions apply to the use of their pictures. So doesn't the fact that the military have special restrictions on their images (i.e. military images are not in the public domain) negate their use on Wiki commons? -- Esemono (talk) 15:36, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

Protected edit request

{{Editprotected}}

Hi. I wonder if someone would be kind enough to add Maltese/Malti to this multilingual template. Grazzi Ħafna! CharlieTheCabbie (talk) 21:27, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Done --Steinsplitter (talk) 16:58, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

Clarify that PD-USGov-Military works are PD in the US but not necessarily PD worldwide

{{Edit protected}} In Template:PD-USGov-Military/en, please change image is in the '''[[w:public domain|public domain]]''.''' to image is in the '''[[w:public domain|public domain]]''' in the United States.'' instead. Works of the US government are definitely in the public domain in the US, but it is not clear by any means that such works are also in the public domain outside the US. Thanks. --Gazebo (talk) 02:33, 25 August 2016 (UTC)

@Gazebo:  Done Josve05a (talk) 09:09, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

Update seal

{{Edit request}} Please update the seal to File:US Department of Defense seal.svg as this is the seal per the US Dept. of Defense website (see file source as the reference). Thanks, Corky 13:12, 5 November 2022 (UTC)

Done, but the other seal should probably have some kind of note on its file description page about this. (Where does that seal even come from? I wasn’t able to find out.) It still has plenty of global usage. --Lucas Werkmeister (talk) 14:12, 5 November 2022 (UTC)

@Lucas Werkmeister: Thank you! It came from the DOD’s website. I’ll add a note on the other seal later today. Corky 14:24, 5 November 2022 (UTC)

Thanks! I meant where the “old” seal came from, not the new one ^^ (or does the DOD website have both and I can’t find one of them?) Lucas Werkmeister (talk) 14:26, 5 November 2022 (UTC)

Haha, sorry! I’m not sure if it has the old seal but I can probably find an archive of the website and place it there. Corky 14:43, 5 November 2022 (UTC)