Lvaughn7

Welcome to Wikimedia Commons, Lvaughn7!

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-- Wikimedia Commons Welcome (talk) 20:32, 7 March 2020 (UTC)

Copyright status: File:B Dzenis in studio.jpg

Copyright status: File:B Dzenis in studio.jpg

This media may be deleted.

Thanks for uploading File:B Dzenis in studio.jpg. I notice that the file page either doesn't contain enough information about the license or it contains contradictory information about the license, so the copyright status is unclear. If you created this file yourself, then you must provide a valid copyright tag. For example, you can tag it with {{self|GFDL|cc-by-sa-all}} to release it under the multi-license GFDL plus Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike All-version license or you can tag it with {{PD-self}} to release it into the public domain. (See Commons:Copyright tags for the full list of license tags that you can use.) If you did not create the file yourself or if it is a derivative of another work that is possibly subject to copyright protection, then you must specify where you found it (e.g. usually a link to the web page where you got it), you must provide proof that it has a license that is acceptable for Commons (e.g. usually a link to the terms of use for content from that page), and you must add an appropriate license tag. If you did not create the file yourself and the specific source and license information is not available on the web, you must obtain permission through the VRT system and follow the procedure described there. Note that any unsourced or improperly licensed files will be deleted one week after they have been marked as lacking proper information, as described in criteria for deletion. If you have uploaded other files, please confirm that you have provided the proper information for those files, too. If you have any questions about licenses please ask at Commons:Village pump/Copyright or see our help pages. Thank you.

Magog the Ogre (talk) (contribs) 14:33, 8 March 2020 (UTC)

@Magog the Ogre: It appears that it was inappropriate for me to upload this photograph. While it is my property, it was taken my my grandfather who died in 1966. Though he took the picture for possible publication, I do not have any form of written permission for its use. I will attempt to take it down. Lvaughn7 (talk) 03:51, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

Can you say if it was ever published? If not, is it possible you own the rights as the heir? I don't want to presume; I am just brainstorming. Magog the Ogre (talk) (contribs) 23:45, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

@Magog the Ogre: I cannot say for certain that it was never published, but it is extremely unlikely. I hope to find an answer to your 2nd question. It's almost inconceivable that he would have transferred any rights to someone outside of family. Thanks for brainstorming this. Lvaughn7 (talk) 03:13, 11 March 2020 (UTC)

Right, so if it was never published, the rights would conceivably fall to the heir. I'm not enough of a lawyer to know the specifics of your situation, but we do sometimes have heirs upload and release the copyright on works by their parents. Magog the Ogre (talk) (contribs) 01:17, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

I appreciate your willingness to continue this dialogue. I am talking with relatives to confirm my understanding that grandfather never transferred rights to his photos and that they were rarely if ever published. He was an avid amateur photographer who documented, among other things, the humanitarian work in which he was involved. (The subjects of the photo I've uploaded were beneficiaries of his charity.) My impression was that he would have happily offered his photos for publication in order to publicize his causes, but I'm compiling a catalogue of all the newspaper and magazine articles written about him and his work and have not encountered a photograph attributed to him. Thus my confidence that this image has never been published. I suppose I need to consult a lawyer. In the meantime, is there anything further I can do about this in Wikimedia, or should the image be deleted until I get this straightened away? Thanks again. Lvaughn7 (talk) 02:25, 14 March 2020 (UTC)