User talk:Avatar/Ubisoft/OTRS thread

Videos

Gilt diese Zusage auch für Videos? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.134.177.86 (talk • contribs) 06:30, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

English translation (new)

This page contained a machine translation (by Google Translate) which was funny to read but not really helpful ("Users may generally happy pictures of our games and recruit" and similar gems). Here's my new, human translation of User:Avatar/Ubisoft/OTRS thread - it may be still a bit rough. Feel free to improve it if you find errors or inaccuracies. Gestumblindi 23:41, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

From: Wikimedia Support Team <info-de@wikimedia.org>
To: Ubisoft
Subject: Re: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
Created: 02.12.2005 11:53:55

[...]
Recently you were in contact with a user of the free encyclopedia Wikipedia
who asked whether he may publish self-taken screenshots of the game Lock On
under a free licence. You gave this permission. To make sure, I want to ask
a question for clarification before we decide to accept the images:

All contents in Wikimedia projects must be free. Free means to us:
* Republication and distribution must be allowed
* The publication of derived works must be allowed
* Commercial use must be allowed

Many people are irritated by the last point, this is however necessary e.g.
to allow projects like the production of the Wikipedia DVD by a third party.

The most important points are:
1) Which pictures do you want to release?

* Only the screenshots of the game "Lock On" which the requesting user took?
* All screenshots of the game "Lock On" which were taken by a user who wants to publish them?
* All screenshots of any Ubisoft game which were taken by a user who wants to publish them?

2) Under which licence may the images be published?
   (For all mentioned licences the preconditions mentioned first above apply)

* "gemeinfrei"/public domain: "Everyone is allowed to use the image freely",
  Ubisoft relinquishes copyright for the images.
* Copyrighted free use: "Everyone is allowed to use the image freely",
  Ubisoft keeps copyright.
* Attribution: For each use the copyright owner Ubisoft must be mentioned.
* CC-BY (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ ) - however, in
  this case the "author" is the creator of the screenshot, not Ubisoft.
* CC-BY-SA: exactly like CC-by, with a republication only possible under the
  same licence (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ )
* GNU Licence for Free Documentation (GFDL): For images, the GFDL is very badly
  suited because it restricts further use in printed works extremely (the complete
  history and text of licence would have to be printed alongside). This can be
  an option if you are interested mainly in further use in online media but want
  to restrict usage in print media. (see http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFDL )
* You could also create a completely different, own licence, if it fulfils
  the three conditions mentioned at the beginning of the mail. For example you
  could make a link to Ubisoft's homepage a condition. In this case please take
  also note of the page http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Licensing .

I hope I haven't overwhemeld you too much with this mail. However, I didn't want to
leave you without the knowledge of possible consequences resp. which possibilities
you have. You would be one of the first firms releasing their screenshots - as
I see it, a very good kind of advertising.
[...]

   From: Ubisoft
   To: 'Wikimedia Support Team' <info-de@wikimedia.org>
   Subject: AW: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
   Created: 05.12.2005 10:28:39
   
   [...]
   Users are generally allowed to take images from our games and to include them.

   In individual cases, we reserve the right to forbid this and to have the
   images in question deleted. E.g. if images are taken to discredit the product clearly.

   Generally the images should always be used under this:

   * Attribution: For each use the copyright owner Ubisoft must be mentioned.
   [...]
   
      From: Wikimedia Support Team <info-de@wikimedia.org>
      To: Ubisoft
      Subject: Re: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
      Created: 05.12.2005 10:48:28
      
      I fear that in this case we sadly can't use the screenshots, because this
      reservation isn't compatible with our definition of free images. As we don't
      have an influence on the usage of the images by third parties and a modification
      of the images is explicitly allowed, we can't eliminate the possibility of an
      arrangement of images or usage in articles forming a negative statement
      about the respective game.
      [...]
      
         From: Ubisoft
         To: 'Wikimedia Support Team' <info-de@wikimedia.org>
         Subject: AW: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
         Created: 08.12.2005 09:08:37

         [...]
         it's not about how users use or arrange the images later somewhere.
         It's about how the images are provided at Wikipedia! I am definitely aware that
         an usage somewhere else can't be supervised. It's only about how it is provided
         directly at Wikipedia.
         [...]
         
            From: Wikimedia Support Team <info-de@wikimedia.org>
            To: Ubisoft
            Subject: Re: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
            Created: 08.12.2005 10:14:44
            
            [...]
            I understand your concerns.
            
            In principle, it is our goal to find general regulations. Our first directive,
            the NPOV (neutral point of view) prohibits distorting descriptions. This means
            that images where a game of yours were depicted in a clearly derogative manner
            would be removed by us of course.
            
            We can't let us be restricted however regarding the inclusion of images in
            article text. If for example Ubisoft had a first person shooter XYZ and there
            were an article "Criticism of first person shooters" it would be possible that a
            user would include a respective existing image in this article as well. Or should
            an Ubisoft game receive the award "Worst computer game of all time" by renowned
            game magazines (I have just made this up theoretically), this would be a statement
            of fact in a respective article, not a rating - in this case we also wouldn't
            forbid illustration by an objective screenshot.
            
            In any case, I guess that our concerns are of theoretical nature and such cases
            will rather not occur in practice. Still I would like to clarify this first. If we
            can agree on this point (indication of derogative image -> deletion, but no
            restriction for usage in articles), then there's hopefully nothing more in the
            way of using your screensots.
            [...]
            
               From: Ubisoft
               To: 'Wikimedia Support Team' <info-de@wikimedia.org>
               Subject: AW: [Ticket#20051200210003144] Wikipedia und Bildrechte
               Created: 08.12.2005 10:18:23
               
               [...]
               on this we can agree in any case, for the users could publish or get
               these articles and screenshots alternatively somewhere else, too. 
               It's also about truth for us - and we have no fear to get rated e.g. as worst
               game because we are positive about the quality of our titles.
               [...]

Skipped rest of thread.