PentaLatin:Licensing policy: Difference between revisions
Phase 3: licensing policy placeholder (decision deferred) |
Phase 6: replace placeholder with a real metadata-vs-file licensing policy |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
''' | PentaLatin's catalog covers 20th-century Latin American popular music — boleros, | ||
rancheras, and similar genres. Unlike [https://imslp.org IMSLP], which focuses on | |||
public-domain classical repertoire, most of this catalog is '''not''' automatically safe | |||
to reproduce: copyright generally lasts until 70 years after the composer's death, and | |||
many of the composers here died well within the last 70 years. | |||
The policy below splits what's allowed by content type, since the legal risk is not the | |||
same for both. | |||
== | == Composer and Work pages (text/metadata) == | ||
'''Always allowed, no restriction.''' A composer's name, dates, nationality, and a short | |||
* If | factual description of a work (title, genre, year, instrumentation) are information, not | ||
a copy of the work itself — the same way a Wikipedia infobox or a Discogs entry isn't | |||
reproducing the music. Add these freely. | |||
== File uploads (scores, audio, PDFs) == | |||
'''Restricted.''' Only upload an actual copy of a work — a scanned score, an audio file — | |||
if one of these is true: | |||
* The composer died more than 70 years ago (as a safety margin, treat anything where the | |||
composer died '''before roughly 1955''' as public domain; check the specific work if | |||
it's close to the line). | |||
* You have explicit written permission from the current rightsholder to host the file. | |||
If neither applies, don't upload a copy — instead, leave the Work page as metadata-only, | |||
and optionally link out to a legitimate external source (the rightsholder's own page, a | |||
licensed streaming platform) rather than hosting a copy here. | |||
Every [[:Category:Files|file page]]'s <nowiki>{{File infobox}}</nowiki> has a '''License | |||
status''' field — leave it blank unless one of the two conditions above is actually true | |||
for that specific file; blank renders as "not yet determined" rather than silently | |||
implying the file is cleared. | |||
== A practical note == | |||
This is a working policy for running the catalog day to day, not a substitute for a real | |||
legal opinion. If the site grows, takes on paid contributors, or otherwise raises the | |||
stakes, get it reviewed by someone with copyright expertise in the relevant countries. | |||
See [[PentaLatin:Uploading files]] for the upload workflow itself. | See [[PentaLatin:Uploading files]] for the upload workflow itself. | ||
Revision as of 02:27, 18 July 2026
PentaLatin's catalog covers 20th-century Latin American popular music — boleros, rancheras, and similar genres. Unlike IMSLP, which focuses on public-domain classical repertoire, most of this catalog is not automatically safe to reproduce: copyright generally lasts until 70 years after the composer's death, and many of the composers here died well within the last 70 years.
The policy below splits what's allowed by content type, since the legal risk is not the same for both.
Composer and Work pages (text/metadata)
Always allowed, no restriction. A composer's name, dates, nationality, and a short factual description of a work (title, genre, year, instrumentation) are information, not a copy of the work itself — the same way a Wikipedia infobox or a Discogs entry isn't reproducing the music. Add these freely.
File uploads (scores, audio, PDFs)
Restricted. Only upload an actual copy of a work — a scanned score, an audio file — if one of these is true:
- The composer died more than 70 years ago (as a safety margin, treat anything where the
composer died before roughly 1955 as public domain; check the specific work if it's close to the line).
- You have explicit written permission from the current rightsholder to host the file.
If neither applies, don't upload a copy — instead, leave the Work page as metadata-only, and optionally link out to a legitimate external source (the rightsholder's own page, a licensed streaming platform) rather than hosting a copy here.
Every file page's {{File infobox}} has a License status field — leave it blank unless one of the two conditions above is actually true for that specific file; blank renders as "not yet determined" rather than silently implying the file is cleared.
A practical note
This is a working policy for running the catalog day to day, not a substitute for a real legal opinion. If the site grows, takes on paid contributors, or otherwise raises the stakes, get it reviewed by someone with copyright expertise in the relevant countries.
See PentaLatin:Uploading files for the upload workflow itself.