Wikimedia penny wise and pound foolish

Wikipedia has no need for an image in excess of 200px, never mind 2000px. The 500px, 1000px, and 2000px versions could be deleted from the Commons without compromising Wikipedia in the slightest and the message would be sent that when a creator releases a huge number of images to the public domain, that openness will not be used against the creator by Wikimedia taking a legalistic stance should the creator want one or two of those images "back". If Wikimedia is going to parse this relevant statute for the "most free" reading, the government is just going to be encouraged to write its statutes tighter such that the amount of material that goes to the Commons in general is more limited. There is no "higher power" here that forces the US govt to release as much material as it does to the public domain. To use the government's general policy of openness against it in a particular, narrow circumstance where Wikipedia has no dog in what is a fight over what is on Wikimedia Commons is to take a litigious and dogmatic stance instead of a nuanced one. Britannica has apparently had an internal discussion over whether to display the logo at any resolution on its FBI article page and decided to delete it. If the Wiki project is neutral I would think it would take its cue from this discretion instead of getting on a high horse and crusading.

Bdell555 (talk)03:09, 5 August 2010

Really? 200px? Thanks for joining 1999. Sure, back then I was only running 1024x768 at the absolute top end. Now in 2010 I run 1680x1050. Many machines start at 1920x1080 or better for "HD". Displays are just going to get better. Deleting everything above 200px is possibly one of the shortest sighted suggestions I've _ever_ heard.

ShakataGaNai ^_^08:51, 6 August 2010

The version isn't pixellated at all, according to its page. It is a vector version that the FBI made available to download, but clearly prefers that others don't distribute.

What did Vanity Fair do? Stand right alongside us!

InfantGorilla (talk)12:42, 6 August 2010
 

What are you talking about? All works of the US government are public domain by law.

NYKevin (talk)22:09, 10 August 2010