Wikiquote talk:What Wikiquote is not/Archive 1

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"Wikiquote is not a place for song lyrics"[edit]

Clarification question: does this mean that absolutely no song lyrics can appear on the site?

I understand that Wikiquote isn't intended to become a lyrics repository, but is it permissible to include excerpts from songs that could stand alone?

Examples, off the top of my head:

"All you need is love." -- The Beatles
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon, "Beautiful Boy"
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." -- Bob Dylan

If these can't be included, why not? If it's copyright issues, I'm wondering if we should allow quotations from movies or any other works still under copyright.

-- Scarequotes 23:39, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)


I think that these are considered quotes, rather than song lyrics. There're quotes from song lyrics, but if it's reasonable to put between quotes and without linebreaks, it's a quote. That's more opinion than fact, though. Still, I think that's what it's supposed to mean. --Spikey 20:05, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I would concur with this evaluation. Another example is in the religion section, from the Tori Amos song "Crucify"; it is not a superfluous addition of a song lyric, but rather a relevant quote from lyrics that is of value in regards to the topic at hand. 66.157.29.22 20:29, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Consider using wikisource http://en.wikisource.org to post entire works that are in the public domain. Entire songs, poems, books etc. --YakbutterT 23:09, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Where do lyrics go?[edit]

Is there a wiki for song lyrics? Because it seems like a perfect model for song lyrics. I come upon song lyrics online all the time that are just plain wrong and I wish that I could edit them.--Skyfaller 00:43, 22 Jan 2004 (UTC)

There is no wiki for song lyrics, and if there was could you imagine what the (Gay ass)copyright problems would be like??? Altough it would be a good idea for a wiki (IMO), the dam copyright just gets in the way . - fonzy

here's a freelance wiki for song lyrics : http://journals.jevon.org/music/. It's small but growing ... - binou

Also, lyrics.wikia.com. ~ Robin Lionheart (talk) 17:10, 29 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Advertising slogans[edit]

What about well known advertising slogans? For example: "Just do it" (Nike) or "Think small" (Volkswagen)? I mean, that would go under "gratuitous advertising (SPAM) of any type" --Eleassar777 09:08, 9 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What constitutes a 'whole poem'[edit]

I see that "What Wikiquote is not" says do not include whole poems, but I do see what appears to be poems scattared throughout the site. Is a six-line poem a 'whole poem'? Is the restriction due to copyright issues or because of length? What about a Haiku?

The restriction is due to copyright. If a poem is public domain, then including all of it would be a question of style etc., but note that in general the wiki project that is devoted to whole works is wikisource and not wikiquote. If there's copyright, then only fair use excerpts may be included, and fair use is a concept in law, i.e. it's not us who define what constitutes fair use, though we would need to use judgement for the particular cases. If you see clear violations of copyright, then you can help by deleting them or trimming them or raising the issue via discussion. Also see earlier discussion at Wikiquote:Village_pump_archive_3#Lyrics. iddo999 22:37, 17 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Censorship[edit]

Is Wikiquote censored? -- 69.209.181.211 20:30, 30 August 2005

Could you be more specific with your question? "Censorship" is a very loaded term, with many meanings to many people. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 21:34, 30 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Revision[edit]

There is currently a revised draft at Wikiquote:What Wikiquote is not/Draft. Please feel free to edit it. Jaxl 02:15, 8 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Crystal ball[edit]

I started this based on [1] and [2].--Cato 07:28, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Cato. I've done a little expansion and revision, based on a quick review of w:WP:NOT's version and the style of our other NOTs. Everyone please take a look at this new section and comment, so we can feel that we have community approval for the change. Thanks. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 23:23, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've made one further comment - it may be that there is an authoritative preview that may be cited. Otherwise, it looks good.--Cato 22:15, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]
That makes sense, since this publication would be verifiable, whereas a trailer you see during a TV commercial break or in theater previews ordinarily wouldn't be. We'd have to watch for YouTube citers and the like, though, since video uploads are almost always copyvio and therefore not reliable. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 23:04, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Broader scope for copyrighted works.[edit]

Copyrighted works specifically mentions lyrics and poems. I'm sure that at the time those were the primary problem children of copyright infringement. However, can we have that section rewritten to provide a general scope that would include such things as video games, TV shows, movies, books and such.

OH DEAR...[edit]

Quotation - noun - a group of words taken from a text...
Quote - verb - repeat or copy out..

I have made the necessary changes, replacing "Quote" by its noun form, "Quotation", where applicable.
Do not reverse this please, or so help me God/Allah/Buddha/Dalai Lama/Confucius/Kali/Odin/Zeus/Jupiter/Science Textbook.

Oh dear, indeed. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, "quote v. & n." - verb and noun. As noun, "1 a passage quoted." Quotation means "1 the act or an instance of quoting or being quoted. 2 a passage or remark quoted." I have no objection to pedantry, but strongly object to incorrect pedantry.--Cato 21:16, 14 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]