Template talk:Non-free computer icon

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Encouraging fair-use rationale

I have proposed a wording change to our non-free image templates, and I'm trying to keep the discussion centralized here. Please join in the discussion. (ESkog)^(Talk) 11:31, 4 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Reword

I think this template should have its wording changed from "This is an icon of copyrighted computer software." to "This is a copyrighted icon of computer software." Case in point: file:blender.svg — the logo is copyrighted, but the software itself is open-source. If noone opposes in several days, I'll perform the change. --Waldir ^talk 08:07, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Support However, you have obviously mistaken Logo with Icon. Your example is a logo and does not apply in this case. Fleet Command (talk) 09:06, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Does this apply to any icon? For example, Windows Explorer icons? The wording seems to refer to *the* icon of the software, which usually is the logo. I might be misinterpreting this, but in any case, I can't think, from the top of my head, of any icon that's not the main icon of a specific software (i.e, the logo) that would justify a fair-use rationale to be used to illustrate articles on Wikipedia. What do you think? --Waldir ^talk 12:55, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Computer icons are different from logos. Logos are under additional legal protections which pertain to all logos, digital or otherwise. Computer icons, on the other hand, are only protected by copyright laws.

Windows Explorer icon is not a logo. It's just an ordinary icon. Windows Explorer is not an independent software. It is a part of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows has a logo of its own: File:Windows logo.svg

Fleet Command (talk) 17:16, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Let me include other examples too:

All icons of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint and icons of the other members of Microsoft Office are just ordinary icons. These applications, regardless of whether they are published standalone or a as part of Microsoft Office, all have a logo as well: File:Microsoft Office 2010 Logo.svg

Adobe Photoshop does not have a logo at all. It just has an icon, which is not even protected by copyright laws! Only its producer, Adobe Systems has a logo.

Usually, small software do not have a logo of their own; but their companies do have. Actually, right now I cannot think of any other software, other than Windows and Office, that has logo that is different from the company's logo. (Perhaps 3DS Max? I'll check!) Only in case of software whose companies produces nothing else but that product you see the logo to be same as the icon. The example is Blender.

(By the way, since the suggested change doesn't seem controversial, I have commuted the change.)

Fleet Command (talk) 17:39, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the explanations. I still have some doubts — for instance, what kind of extra protections do logos have? trademarks? Something else? Is this protection automatic, like copyright? Maybe you could add a sentence or two in the Logo article, right now it says nothing about this. --Waldir ^talk 19:08, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, perhaps the wording on {{Non-free logo}} should be changed to avoid confusion: "Please do not use this template to tag non-free icons of computer software. Such items should be tagged with {{Non-free computer icon}} template." Maybe a note to distinguish icons from logos would help there, too. --Waldir ^talk 19:16, 19 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I already tagged File:Blender.svg with {{wrong license}}. Also, this template may be expanded into this:

Extended content

This image is a copyrighted computer icon of a computer program, and the copyright for is is mostly held by either the company that created the software or the people who created the icon in question. It is believed that the exhibition of icons

to illustrate or identify the computer software in question
on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation

...qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Any other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. See Wikipedia:Non-free content and Copyrights.

To the uploader:

Please add a detailed fair use rationale for each use, as described on Wikipedia:Image description page, as well as the source of the work and copyright information.
Please do not use this tag on uploaded copyrighted logos. Non-free logos should be tagged with {{Non-free logo}}.

--Captaincollect1970 (talk) 15:23, 21 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]