Copyrighted Images (IMPORTANT UPDATE)

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Since Dave had made it very clear that posting copyrighted images is against the ToS, I'll devote some of my time to go through as many threads as I can to see if there's anything to be removed. I'll only remove questionable images, not anything you've written. For posts made before today, there shall be no infraction and any reports are welcome to point me in the right direction.  

However, if someone posts blatantly copyrighted images from this point on, said person shall be infracted accordingly.

Now, I realize it's not always clear if the image is copyrighted, so my prime focus shall be on watermarked pictures. Meanwhile, you're strongly advised to try to use clear sources only, such as the wikimedia commons.

[Krago]

How long does it take to get a picture approved in the gallery?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

A word about proper attributing.

Sometime ago I've simplified the rules of attribution for the what-ifs sake, while trying to satisfy the requirements set by Dave. Here's how it works:

Not all Wikimedia Commons images can be used simply by providing a link.

For example this file:



Can only be used if you credit the author.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en


It, therefore, should look like this:


Source: Wikimedia Commons. Author: Richard David Ramsey


If there's a clear public domain in play, as with this image:



You simply need to write "public domain" or "PD" in description:



Wikimedia Commons (PD)


The same rule apply to non-commons images. Unless said image is either public domain, or free for use with crediting the author, it'll be considered a violation and dealt with pronto.

Here's an example for non-commons PD image:

 

Proper attribution:



Florida Memory (PD)


I'll not be checking unsourced/improperly attributed pictures. These will be removed.

One more important note: you have to provide a link to a page from where you took the photo, not an image link.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Hey guys, looks like Ernest has found a perfect solution for the wikimedia files:

Incidentally, for a picture on the WIkimedia Commons, if you click on the "Use this file on the web" link, you'll be able to get some BBCode you can simply copy and paste, like so:

John Bel Edwards Richard David Ramsey [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

TRUMAN 58-766-06 National Archives and Records Administration. Office of Presidential Libraries. Harry S. Truman Library. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

It's attribution is a bit more verbose than Kal's minimum standard, but it'll certainly do and requires very little effort since you only need to copy and paste,