File:Tatischev Monument, Tolyatti - Long View.jpg

This is a two-dimensional representation of a copyrighted sculpture, statue or any other three-dimensional work of art. As such it is a derivative work of art, and per US Copyright Act of 1976, § 106(2) whoever holds copyright of the original has the exclusive right to authorize derivative works. Per § 107 it is believed that reproduction for criticism, comment, teaching and scholarship constitutes fair use and does not infringe copyright. It is believed that the use of a picture to illustrate the three-dimensional work of art in question, to discuss the artistic genre or technique of the work of art or to discuss the artist or the school to which the artist belongs on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, qualifies as fair use under the Copyright law of the United States. Any other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, might be copyright infringement. Fair use //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tatischev_Monument,_Tolyatti_-_Long_View.jpg true

Well, I'm not sure how to figure out the licensing, actually. It's complicated, I guess.

On the one hand, the person who took the actual photograph released his rights to the photograph. On the other hand, the Russian Government has its hand in this too. See ru:Шаблон:FoP-Russia for the description of their take on the matter (of course, it's in Russian and good luck with that). Whether the Russian Government has the right or ability to restrict using photos of its stuff in this way, I don't know. Wikipedia:Freedom of panorama has something to say on the matter, but that is just an essay.

I also note that there are scads and scads of photos of monuments and buildings owned by the Russian government on Commons. If those are legit than this is, I guess. I'm not sure that they are legit, though. If images under Template:FoP-USonly are legit than I suppose this one is also (not sure - different countries) and if not, then not. Or something. Advice from someone who in versed in all this would be welcome. Herostratus (talk) 23:47, 5 April 2011 (UTC)