Commons:WikiProject Public Domain/German stamps review

This review is prompted by a recent (March 2012) German court decision. In the Loriot stamps case decision the Landgericht Berlin decided that § 5 Abs. 1 UrhG only applies for literary works (Sprachwerke) and not for works of the visual arts (Werke der bildenden Kunst). Furthermore:

"Auch § 5 Abs. 2 UrhG ist für Postwertzeichen nicht einschlägig. Postwertzeichen werden nicht im amtlichen Interesse zur allgemeinen Kenntnisnahme veröffentlicht, da kein amtliches Interesse an der freien Verwertung besteht. Denn sie werden nicht zur allgemeinen Kenntnisnahme veröffentlicht, sondern zum allgemeinen Gebrauch im Geldverkehr herausgebracht." I.e. stamps are not considered a work that is published "for the attention of the general public" (zur allgemeinen Kenntnisnahme) as a matter of official concern ("im amtlichen Interesse").

All this means that stamps are not in the public domain in Germany, except individual cases where other reasons for them being in the public domain apply (e.g. creator dead for more than 70 years or just a simple design).

Background

• Commons:Loriot Signature Background
• Commons:Deletion requests/Template:PD-German stamps
• Commons:Village pump/Copyright/Archive/2012/04#German stamps again - quick action needed.3F
• de:Wikipedia:Urheberrechtsfragen/Archiv/2012/04#Loriot-Urteil liegt nun vor
• m:Wikilegal/Copyright of Images in German Postage Stamps
• de:Wikipedia:Briefmarken#Deutsche Post – official statement given by Deutsche Post

Guidance affected

• Commons:Hochladen/Briefmarken  Done
• Commons:Stamps / Commons:Briefmarken (English and German versions  Done - check other languages)

Templates affected

• Generic cases: {{PD-German stamps}}, {{PD-Deutsche Bundespost stamps}}, {{PD-Deutsche Bundespost Berlin stamps}}
• Historical cases: {{PD-German Empire stamps}}, {{PD-DBZ stamps}}, {{PD-GDR stamps}}

Converted

Templates with no remaining uses, converted to use {{Speedydelete}} for any future uploads:

• {{Bild-PD-Amtliches Werk (Deutsche Briefmarke)}}
• {{PD-German postmarks}}

Tools

• Category:German stamps review
• {{PD German stamps warning}}, applied to the affected PD templates to warn end users
• Help:VisualFileChange.js - a very powerful tool, to be used with caution. Can do text replacements ("custom replace" option) to execute the review process on many similar files at once.

Identifying the most-used files

Commons:Tools#Glamorous can identify the most-used files in Category:German stamps review. Make sure "Show details" is checked to get the list of files, as well as "Show limited details" to give you the count instead of the names of the pages where they're used. See also Category talk:German stamps review for a listing.

To do

draft for discussion

1. Set up a project page to coordinate all this. That way we would have a place we can link to when we post notices on other wikis.
2. Inform Wikis:
   1. Inform all Wikis that the result of the discussion is that we can't keep the files. And add a link to the project page.
   2. Do a query of all the files used in each wiki and inform the wikis about the numbers of "their" files that may be deleted.
   3. Give all the wikis a deadline to decide if they can and will have the files copied to their wiki.
3. Whats the problem?
   1. Make a list of all templates that may be a problem.
   2. Make a list of all files that may be deleted (or at least a list of the number of files with each template).
4. Check files
   1. Agree on a method to get this working
   2. Update license pages etc. so we all have a better chance to figure out which files are ok and which files are not
   3. Start checking
      1. Mark as ok.
      2. Mark as NOT ok.
5. Files that is not ok
   1. Have a bot to mark file with no permission and inform uploader
   2. Have a bot inform local wikis where the file used
   3. If the wiki has opted in for "copy to wiki" then a bot copies the file to the wiki
   4. When file has been copied to local wiki (or if they do not want it) mark it with "ready for deletion"
   5. Delete when the 7 days have passed and uploader (or anyone else) have not provided a valid permission.

Target for completion

?

Review procedure for 2D reproductions of stamps

1. Examine if this file is a stamp, otherwise continue with Commons:WikiProject Public Domain/German stamps review#Review procedure for other items
2. Provide one of the following licence templates:
   • {{PD-Old}} (or if published before 1929, {{PD-old-auto-expired|YYYY}}, where YYYY is the author's year of death): The author's identity and death date is available and the stamp's underlying artwork is subject to this template.
   • {{PD-shape}} The image consists of simple shapes which do not cross the threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain
   • {{PD-Text}} The image consists of text that does not cross threshold of originality and is therefore in the public domain
3. Review outcomes:
   • Keep outcome: If a new valid licence template was applied, remove {{PD-German stamps}}, {{PD-German Empire stamps}} or {{PD-Deutsche Bundespost Berlin stamps}} (this removes the file from Category:German stamps review). Categorise the file manually into Category:German stamps review keep.
   • Delete outcome: If no other licence template was applied, leave the stamps template on the file, and add |reviewdelete=yes (this removes the file from Category:German stamps review and puts it in Category:German stamps review delete). If you can work out when the file will be eligible for the public domain due to age (bearing in mind it needs to be PD in both Germany and the US to be undeleted), list the file in the appropriate section of Commons:WikiProject Public Domain/German stamps review/undeletion.
4. Use +review via [[Commons:WikiProject Public Domain/German stamps review]] for your edit's summary to indicate why you changed the licence template.

• Files moved into Category:German stamps review delete will eventually be deleted from Commons. Attempts may be made to transfer them to a fair use project before deletion. This is particularly important where the files are currently in use on a fair use project.
  • Files may be tagged {{Fair use delete}} by admins, {{Request fair use delete}} by non-admins.

Review procedure for other items

1. If the templates are used for images of postcards, letters, parcels, etc. a different review procedure is required

   Wouldn't any such use be de minimis, in which case the templates could just be removed? If not, such use could be made legal by censoring the stamp image out, and then the templates could just be removed.   — Jeff G. ツ 03:10, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

   with respect to german law: probably, yeah. cheers, —Pill (talk) 07:23, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

2. TBC

Progress

• Files tagged with {{PD-German stamps}} 1222 on 17 April 2012
• Files tagged with {{PD-German Empire stamps}} 1944 on 17 April 2012; 1496 on 10 July 2012
• Files tagged {{PD-Deutsche Bundespost Berlin stamps}} 687 on 17 April 2012
• Files tagged {{PD-Deutsche Bundespost stamps}} 2660 on 9 July 2012
• Files tagged {{PD-GDR stamps}} 3947 on 9 July 2012
• Files tagged {{PD-DBZ stamps}} 310 on 9 July 2012
• #Templates_affected automatically categorise into Category:German stamps review, 4,262 files are currently listed.
• 1,732 have been marked for keeping in Category:German stamps review keep.
  • + subcategories of Category:German stamps review keep:
    • 26 in Category:German stamps review PD-text
    • 66 in Category:German stamps review PD-shape
    • 85 in Category:German stamps review PD-ineligible
    • 99 in Category:German stamps review PD-Coa-Germany.
  • Total marked Keep: 2008
• 171 have been marked for deletion (in Category:German stamps review delete).