Chabadpedia:Copyrights

Chabadpedia is a free encyclopedia, meaning that any user is authorized to quote from it (with citation of the source). This fact has important implications that must be kept in mind when editing the encyclopedia.

How to Protect Your Copyright?

Every contribution you make to Chabadpedia is published under the GNU Free Documentation License, a license created by the GNU organization, which protects the copyright of a work in a different and "freer" way than standard copyright, thereby marking the work as "free content." The purpose of the license is to define a manual, book, or any functional and useful document as free, meaning: to ensure everyone has the freedom to copy and distribute the document, with or without modifications, for profit or non-profit purposes (but in accordance with the license terms). Another purpose of this license is to preserve the right of authors and publishers to receive recognition and appreciation for the work they have done, without holding them responsible for changes made by others.

If you do not want your work to be available for editing by others, to be distributed publicly, or for others to copy with attribution, do not publish it here. You can refer to the full text of the licenses for further details.

How to Protect the Copyrights of Others?

We all desire to see Chabadpedia grow rapidly, and blessings will come to all those involved in this. However, when contributing to the development of Chabadpedia, it is crucial to ensure that the copyrights of others are respected.

This is always important, but it is doubly critical for Chabadpedia because it allows users to quote from it, and therefore, anyone adding content to Chabadpedia in violation of copyright harms the public, who may quote the content in good faith, unaware that they are using stolen material. In addition to violating Torah laws as outlined in the Shulchan Aruch (part "Choshen Mishpat") and, by extension, international law (Dinah D'Malchuta), and the harm caused to the copyright holder due to unauthorized copying, any article copied to Chabadpedia from another source severely damages its reputation and deters people who care about copyright protection from joining the writers of Chabadpedia.

Below are some general guidelines for respecting the copyrights of other creators. Please note that this page is not intended as a substitute for halachic or legal advice.

Basic Rules

• Any work created by an individual, whether published (in a book, newspaper, internet, etc.) or not, is protected by law, and the copyright belongs to the creator (or whoever has received it from them).
• The statement "All rights reserved" on a work is not necessary to confer copyright to the creator. Copyright exists regardless of this notice.
• It is forbidden to copy a work without the permission of the copyright holder.
• Copyright protection applies to all forms of expression—text, photography, illustrations, etc.
• Copyright protection applies both to the entire work and to parts of it.
• Copyright does not protect content (ideas, data, facts, or news) but rather the form of expression (e.g., wording, arrangement of elements). However, even when copying content in a different form, the source must be cited.
• Copyright for a work under international law expires 70 years after the death of the creator. According to Torah law, the rules may differ, and one should consult a rabbi before copying such a work.

Instead of Copying

You found a great page on the internet that describes an article that belongs in Chabadpedia? Under no circumstances should you copy that page to Chabadpedia! What should you do? Here are several options:

1. Find the relevant article on Chabadpedia (or create it) and link to the page you wanted to copy. This allows Chabadpedia users to read the page without violating the rights of its creators. 2. Contact the creator of the website and ask them to copy the page from their website to Chabadpedia, or to use their expertise to write the article in Chabadpedia. If you receive their permission to copy under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2, include the permission in the article's talk page. 3. Write the relevant article yourself, using the information you found along with additional sources. 4. Found an article in a book or newspaper? Do not copy it under any circumstances. If you wish, you can rewrite it in your own words based on the knowledge you gained from the text. Also, you can reference the article under the "Further Reading" section at the end of the article.

Text from Wikipedia

It is recommended not to copy text, but rather to paraphrase the information when necessary. However, according to the rules of Wikipedia and Chabadpedia, you may copy any text from Wikipedia into Chabadpedia, under two conditions: - You must provide credit in the edit summary or the article's talk page, i.e., citing the source of the text via a link or text. For example, if you copy from the "Russia" article, you must indicate it as "From Wikipedia - Russia" or "he.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia." - If necessary, you must adapt the content to Chabadpedia, both by adding or removing details according to Chabadpedia's rules and areas of interest, and technically by removing unnecessary interwiki links, changing to appropriate categories, etc.

Copyrights of Images

Images from websites with unrestricted use include:

• Images from Chabad.info
• Images from Chabad in Israel
• Images from Rabbi Drive

The above websites have authorized the use of images for Chabadpedia, but the source of these images on these websites is varied, as are their copyright terms.

Wikipedia

Images from Wikipedia and Wikimedia: These images are uploaded under various licenses, each with different restrictions (or permissions). If you want to upload an image from these sites to Chabadpedia, find the image's license according to the instructions on Wikipedia: "Which images can I use?" and include in the edit summary the image's source (via link, license type, and the creator's name if needed).

Self-Taken Photos

Unrestricted Use:

• Photographing any object displayed in a public place on a permanent basis, such as: photographing an object placed in a public space (but not an object in a changing exhibition).
• Photographing exhibits in a public museum open to the public (even if for a fee) (abroad – as long as it doesn't violate the creator's rights, i.e., the creator passed away more than 70 years ago, and not in changing exhibitions).
• Photographing exhibits in a private museum (allowed within the scope of copyright law; if the museum prohibits photography, the photo may be considered a "breach of contract").

Prohibited actions

• Presenting a work protected by copyright outside of "fair use" (for example, it is forbidden to photograph a page from a book protected by copyright).
• Presenting a partial work protected by copyright while hiding the creators' names or presenting a favorite book or CD cover that was uploaded under fair use, in any page other than the article page (such as in the user page, talk page, or portal).