Question 1

Why was my wiki entry not used?

Accepted Answer

We make every attempt to use all wiki submissions.  However, if the photo has copyright restrictions or the text is not original, we cannot use them.  We can use photos that have copyright permissions P, BY, BY-SA, or BY-ND, but not anything else.  While copying text is especially easy these days on the internet, original text is creative, much more fun and does not pose ethical issues.  Yeah, it's like copying your brother's homework and turning it in as your own... just feels off after you've done it, right?

Question 2

Is it ok to copy and paste text or photos I find online into a wiki form?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can certainly do that, but we will not or cannot reuse that material without attributing that work to the original author.  According to Cornell Law School, plagiarism (reusing a string of 5-6 words of another person's written work without attribution) is not illegal in the US, but is "considered an ethics violation".  Copyright infringement, on the other hand is a legal matter that we take very seriously.  Sometimes plagiarism infringes on copyrights, trademarks and patents so we just avoid both.  We check all text and photo submissions for plagiarism and copyright infringement to the best of our ability.  If you feel that we have made an error, please reach out to copyrightagent@plant-share.com.

Question 3

Who owns the copyrights for photos, text and knowledge on www.plant-share.com?

Accepted Answer

Many people have contributed copyrighted material to PlantShare, especially their photos.  PlantShare honors each of those copyrights everywhere possible.  When a body of information has been assembled into a coherent whole, we submit that Plant Profile for a copyright to the US Government to honor all the work we have done to assemble, design and curate that body of work.

Question 4

Will I be acknowledged for my contributions to www.plant-share.com?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we absolutely believe in attribution!  Anyone who contributes photos, text or knowledge to a Plant Profile including the photo gallery, will appear either on the page itself or on hover of a photo.  If you don't want your name listed online, just change the permissions in Profile & Preferences.  Please email info@plant-share.com if you feel that there's been an error and tell us how we can make it right.

Contributions & Copyrights

Why was my wiki entry not used?

Is it ok to copy and paste text or photos I find online into a wiki form?

Who owns the copyrights for photos, text and knowledge on www.plant-share.com?

Will I be acknowledged for my contributions to www.plant-share.com?