Using Wikipedia Content

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-19-2008, 05:44 PM

Hey guys, are you allowed to use content from wikipedia without permission, as long as the you link to the original content?

**Learning Newbie** · 09-19-2008, 06:29 PM

No. You aren't required to link to the original content. You can simply take and do as you please.

Read the license first, if any media is attached. Check this history of the article (or resource of any kind) first. Look for instability, edit wars, and especially new additions that may not be properly licensed. And also for vandalism, which would embarrass you to print, but, mostly, because Wikipedia is public domain, and intended to be used as such, you should be careful of someone adding copyrighted material to an article 5 minutes before you pull down your copy. Theirs would be removed sooner than later in most cases, but unless you continue to check for updates, you wouldn't know it.

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-20-2008, 06:41 AM

That's brilliant, thank you

**John_audson** · 09-20-2008, 09:02 AM

We can take help of wikipedia contents but we can not copy the contents of wiki.

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-20-2008, 04:25 PM

Two contrasting points there, which one is correct?

**nyef** · 09-20-2008, 06:42 PM

I don't know about taking it without linking, it depends on Wikipedia's terms of use or terms of service.

But I do know that you can reprint ANYONE's content online if you provide a link. With the link everything becomes fair use.

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-20-2008, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyef

But I do know that you can reprint ANYONE's content online if you provide a link. With the link everything becomes fair use.

SURELY that's not right... You mean I can just rip off anything from someone else's page, as long as I put a link that says "this is where the original can be found"?

**nyef** · 09-21-2008, 12:18 AM

That was my understanding, but I'm not a lawyer. Maybe I'm wrong.

**kouki** · 09-21-2008, 11:39 PM

i learn a lot...

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-22-2008, 06:58 AM

Can anyone else confirm this?

**Learning Newbie** · 09-22-2008, 04:00 PM

Using a link doesn't make something fair use. That's a common and utterly wrong myth. An urban legend. It's a case of wishful thinking, pure and simple. Spending 5 minutes of research (real research, not browsing MFA sites written by people with no idea what they're advising about) will clear up all doubt.

Wikipedia content can be copied. In its entirety. You can copy the whole encyclopedia if you have enough gigabytes. As per their terms of service. The name "wikimedia commons" might provide a clue as well. Here's the first sentence from their about page

Quote:

Wikipedia (pronounced /ˌwiːkiˈpiːdiə/ or /ˌwɪkəˈpiːdiə/) is a multilingual, Web-based, free content encyclopedia project.

Further on down

Quote:

Trademarks and copyrights

Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which has created an entire family of free-content projects. On all of these projects, you are welcome to be bold and edit articles yourself, contributing knowledge as you see fit in a collaborative way.
All of the text in Wikipedia, and most of the images and other content, is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). Contributions remain the property of their creators, while the GFDL license ensures the content is freely distributable and reproducible. (See the copyright notice and the content disclaimer for more information.)

**internetadserve** · 09-22-2008, 09:02 PM

None of it is copywrited and it is all user generated so feel free to rip as much of it as you want.

**Spud In Disguise** · 09-23-2008, 07:48 AM

Yeah, I knew the comment "a link makes everything fair use" was not quite there lol

But still, that's good about wikipedia, cheers guys!

**Magic Monkey** · 09-23-2008, 10:11 AM

the lovely thing about wiki is that everything posted on it is fair game... including the images (which is really nice!)

**webmister77** · 09-23-2008, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Contributions remain the property of their creators

I never had any trouble with Wiki articles on my sites. Only twice I had an email from the author with the request to remove it. Which I did.

**Learning Newbie** · 09-23-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Monkey

the lovely thing about wiki is that everything posted on it is fair game... including the images (which is really nice!)

Close. Most everything is fair game. Sometimes, people upload copyrighted images, text, and other media, which is taken down from Wikipedia. Usually within a few days. Everything that stays long term can be used, but just being on WP isn't a guarantee. You need to do the homework I outlined above.

Can anyone tell I do my share of editing on Wikipedia to improve the articles I'm interested in?

**mg1313** · 10-21-2008, 09:12 PM

Why not ask directly the Wikipedia people?

**thomsonbsa** · 10-23-2008, 02:26 PM

Any writing you borrow from another author or source HAS to be cited, end of question. It doesn't matter whether it's wikipedia or a definition from a dictionary. Unless it's common knowledge. be on the safe side and site it. And don't plagiarize, it's just not fair to the original mind and it's creation

**Learning Newbie** · 10-27-2008, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomsonbsa

Any writing you borrow from another author or source HAS to be cited, end of question. It doesn't matter whether it's wikipedia or a definition from a dictionary. Unless it's common knowledge. be on the safe side and site it. And don't plagiarize, it's just not fair to the original mind and it's creation

This is patently false.

Why do people lie to each other instead of spending 5 to 10 minutes learning? Look up the Wikipedia license. The question was about using text from Wikipedia, not from Uncle Joe's binge drinking blog, so we don't need to confuse people by guessing and generalizing about sources other than Wikipedia.

**foldingtablesm** · 10-28-2008, 05:04 PM

Plagerism is plagerism. If it wasn't necessary to cite Wikipedia than why would they have a page with instructions on how to cite it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia . The rules apply to wikipedia that apply to all outside sources: give credit where credit is due. Don't steal ideas, concepts, or words. It's basic rules that you learn in third grade book reports.