[theme-reviewers] GPL Screenshots

Wed Nov 13 12:54:09 UTC 2013

I guess there are a lot of themes which have images in their screenshots
which are not GPL licensed or GPL compatible (some just look like stock
photos). I have actually thought about updating some of my theme
screenshots with better images, too. Since a lot of themes do that I
thought it would be okay.

I don't mind personally if such images in screenshots are allowed or not in
the future, but I find it is a little bit unfair when some theme authors
are picked out to remove their screenshot images, while others are still
allowed to use them. As far as I can see no reviewer has ever taken any
look on the theme screenshot and therefore every image in screenshots was
approved without checking for GPL compatibility.

Maybe a good rule would be that any images on the screenshot have also to
be bundled with the theme (would be also very fair for users because they
can get the theme as displayed on the screenshot). And bundled theme
resources are checked against GPL anyway.

2013/11/13 yulian yordanov <yul.yordanov at gmail.com>

> Fair use of a picture is when you wrote a post about the movie and include
> a picture form it as an illustration.
> But what is the purpose of such a picture in the theme's screenshot? The
> author simply wants by using a catchy image his theme to be easily spotted
> and distinguished among all others, don't he. So it is just a sort of
> advertisement not a fair use of a picture. Moreover, using such is a 'mind
> trick' - the user is made to associate that nice looking picture with the
> theme itself ;)
>
> Fingli
>
>
> 2013/11/13 Rohit Tripathi <rohitink at live.com>
>
>> What about Screenshots of Yutube Videos?
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 00:12:52 -0600
>> From: emil at uzelac.me
>> To: theme-reviewers at lists.wordpress.org
>> Subject: Re: [theme-reviewers] GPL Screenshots
>>
>>
>> Thanks :-)
>> On Nov 13, 2013 12:11 AM, "Justin Tadlock" <justin at justintadlock.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  The last version I downloaded had Spider-Man, Batman, Fight Club, and
>> other images.  It also had a YouTube music video.  I might not have the
>> latest version though.  I'll check as soon as I get a chance.
>>
>> On 11/13/2013 12:05 AM, Emil Uzelac wrote:
>>
>> You are absolutely correct. All non-GPL images were removed while back,
>> did we miss any? if so would you be kind and point them to us and I will
>> personally remove them.
>> On Nov 13, 2013 12:01 AM, "Justin Tadlock" <justin at justintadlock.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  I'm inclined to believe that this falls under fair use based on the few
>> court rulings I've read about similar issues.  I don't care what we decide
>> though.  If we're putting a stop screenshots like this, then the theme unit
>> test data must be revised to include images and other media that are
>> licensed under the GPL.  I know many people, myself included, have
>> screenshots that include theme unit test data.
>>
>> On 11/12/2013 11:07 PM, Rohit Tripathi wrote:
>>
>> I was asked to update my screenshots for a theme because, a part of the
>> screenshot contained an image(post with featured image) from a movie.
>> Obviously, the movie is copyrighted to someone else, but I am not
>> distributing the poster with the theme. Secondly, I am not violating any
>> copyrights too. Screenshots are just demonstrations of a site using my
>> theme. What can be a better screenshot than the screenshot of a real site
>> actually using the theme?
>>
>>  Secondly, if the images shown in the screenshots itself have to be
>> under GPL then there can be many problems with a large amount of themes.
>> None of the themes, declare licenses for the images/site used to create the
>> screenshot. I bet most of them are not GPL. But, it doesn't matter we are
>> not distributing the images. It only makes the theme looks good. Moreover,
>> we are not using paid or pirated images. Also, the images used to build the
>> screenshot are not even Default images in the theme, that they would show
>> up in theme preview.
>>
>>  Thirdly, even the components of the Theme Unit test might cause a
>> conflict with the screenshot being GPL. For e.g. the *Post Format Test:
>> Video*(in theme unit test)*, *if the screenshot contains that particular
>> post, then the video would appear in it. The image of the Video/or the
>> Thumbnail of the video is not under GPL. So, isn't that a problem?
>>
>>  All I want to say is that, we are all using fully GPL compatible
>> resources in our themes. I think, there shouldn't be such strictness on the
>> themes. Also, I would completely respect the decision taken by theme admins
>> on this. But, I atleast request you to understand the genuinity of the
>> cause I bring to you.
>>
>>  Regards,
>> Rohit Tripathi
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Yulian Yordanov
> post-scriptum.info
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