This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
What is the copyright status of press releases. Are they in the public domain, by definition? Christiaan
Can people have a hunt around for opinions from lawyers and other sources to cite? Are there any historical cases in law with regard to press release copyright? It'd be nice to introduce a comprehensive paragraph into the article on this topic. Christiaan 13:28, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)
I would like to point out that even if press releases are public domain or "free to use for any purpose" they are rarely labelled as even "press releases." We see them, we know that was their intention, but without clear indication that it is a press release, it can't be used anyway. There is some talk about this at my talk page if you would like to see it. Foofy 20:16, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
I'd also like a professional opinion of the GFDL compatibility of promotional photos sent out with press releases. I believe they are at least fair use, but a full legal rationale would be useful to add to Category:Promotional photos and related pages. Catherine\ talk 07:32, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Here's the current text of {{ promophoto}}:
This work is a copyrighted publicity photograph. It is believed that the use of some such photographs to illustrate:
qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.
Other use of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. See Wikipedia:Fair use and Wikipedia:Publicity photos.
Additionally, the copyright holder may have granted permission for use in works such as Wikipedia. However, if they have, this permission likely does not fall under a free license. As well, commercial third-party reusers of this image should consider whether their use is in violation of the subject's publicity rights, if the photograph is of a person.
To the uploader: This tag should only be used for images of a person, product, or event that is known to have come from a press kit or similar source, for the purpose of reuse by the media. Please add a detailed fair use rationale as described on Wikipedia:Image description page, as well as the source of the image, the photographer, and copyright information. Additionally, if the copyright holder has granted permission, please provide further details as to the terms.
I've often wondered why news releases often end in "-30-". Is there some significance to the number 30? - Oddtoddnm
But why the 30 or the XXX? Why not 20 or XX? I'm also seeing some copy just having "-end-" at the bottom. Ss1013 13:03, 22 March 2007 (UTC)ss1013
One of my PR profs mentioned that the "-30-" was a telegraph code to indicate the end of the release. However, she didn't offer any evidence to support this and I have not found any on the Internet. On Morse Code sites, the codes for 'end transmission' and 'end of message' are completely different than "-30-". It's an intriguing suggestion, though. Twinchester 16:35, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
" What Wikipedia is not" says: ... Wikipedia articles should not include instruction - advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. This includes tutorials, walk-throughs, instruction manuals, and recipes, hence I have removed the section "Writing a News Release". -- Ezeu 01:01, 20 November 2005 (UTC)
Press Releases are not in the public domain. They are in fact covered under the same copyright laws as any other work.
Here's the kicker -- it's not enforced. You're not going to find any company turning down any news organization from posting their press release.
Also -- when a company uses a newswire to distribute their press release, many newswire take ownership and provide their own license for use, which is usually *very* loose.
The truth is, most journalists don't post press releases in their original form. That's widely considered bad journalism; you'll never find a PR in the New York Times.
In this article about News Releases, the "Origins" section has only a sentence or two and they are only about where -30- came from. It is NOT about the origins of press releases. So I am suggesting someone in the know consider improving the Origins section, the Origins title, whatever. Thanks. -- SafeLibraries 06:42, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Press Releases, due to the fact they announce news are also another form of advertising and marketing. Due to the increase of businesses online and the increase in press release submission websites online, they are another method of indirectly promoting, whether negatively or postiively, a business. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Snowflys ( talk • contribs) 09:19, 6 March 2010 (UTC)
In the opening paragraph, the sentence "Commercial press-release distribution services such as Business Wire and PR Newswire are also used to distribute news releases." has been frequently replaced by "Commercial press-release distribution services such as [http://www.eworldwire.com Eworldwire] are also used to distribute news releases." These edits have been performed starting 20:49 20 May 2007 and were performed by the users User:75.209.158.142, User:75.211.34.88, User:75.194.193.238 (twice), and User:68.236.220.129, whose contributions are exclusively on this page, of this nature.
These edits were reverted by User:Barnabypage, User:Corvus_cornix, and me. Since the first step of edit-conflict resolution on WP:CR is to discuss, I am doing so. I ask those users who are attempting this change to come forward with support for their actions. Otherwise, I will request that this page be semi-protected. -- RealGrouchy 22:31, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
Can we add a section for press release distribution services? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.88.24.21 ( talk) 06:55, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
User:75.198.37.84 has suggested that Pressemelding is not the correct Norwegian term for press release. Googling certainly seems to suggest that it is, but as I don't speak the language I won't restore it without confirmation. Can anyone who either speaks Norwegian or has an appropriate reference to hand shed light on this? Barnabypage 13:18, 4 September 2007 (UTC)
I would say that news release, media release, and press release are effectively synonymous and we are misleading users of Wikipedia by drawing distinctions among them. (I agree that a press statement is subtly different.) Does anyone have any strong views, opposing or concurring, on this before I make the necessary edits? Barnabypage ( talk) 12:59, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
I pulled the entire contents of the References section:
None was actually used as a reference, as none was specifically referred to in the text. It's not clear that any are appropriate references in any case; one is just a dictionary definition from Encarta, and one is a dicdef from a glossary of terms somewhere, and one is a random piece from Wikihow.
Let's try limiting ourselves to references to which we actually refer, shall we? TenOfAllTrades( talk) 13:05, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
The last sentence of the first paragraph read "Commercial press-release distribution services are also used to distribute them". Leaves out an entire new segment of "Free" press release disrribution services that have taken a foot hold over the past 5 years.
Starting around 2005 a large number of free press release distribution services began publishing press releases online. Since then sites like PRlog.org, PR.com, 1888pressrelease.com, PR-Inside.com and BigNews.biz have traffic and a user base that are on par with and in some cases exceed the commercial "pay for service" distribution sites such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, PRWeb and Canada Newswire.
I would suggest changing that sentence to read "Online Press release distribution services are often used to distribute them." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Erthlng ( talk • contribs) 21:47, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
I agree except I would call it "Internet Press Release Website Submission services and would add this list to help webmasters and visitors both view and use them as a reference. Internet Press Release Website Submission List [4] Snowflys ( talk) 09:12, 6 March 2010 (UTC)
I think we can add an internet section that talks about free or open source resources that can be used for press release distribution and publishing. Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 06:46, 8 December 2010 (UTC) Because unlike traditional publishing, it is now easy to publish and distribute press release on internet without any cost. So I think a section on internet based press release distribution and publishing can be added. Also there are thousands of journalists and users subscribed to internet based press release distribution services. Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 06:50, 8 December 2010 (UTC)
Internet and social media heavily influence press release distribution. Can a new article on internet based news and press release distribution be introduced from the "Internet" section of the article? Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 07:40, 8 December 2010 (UTC)
Totally agree. Not having information on the #1 way people distribute press releases (Websites) is a big oversight. People don't fax or mail them anymore, as this article indicates. So, I added a paragraph about that. A user completely deleted the entire thing, because I included a couple examples, but I reversed it, because this paragraph makes the page stronger. I assume in good faith the person was not vandalizing the page, but I need to see how it plays out. We need to make sure the page moves forward and is more accurate and useful, not backward and less accurate and useful. -- Adam00 ( talk) 02:42, 7 September 2011 (UTC)
Although the lead mentions their use as a tool in Public Relations, I think the article can be improved by explicitly stating that press releases are often not reliable sources of controversial/editorial information. A quick search of wikipedia using "WP:press release POV" brings up several listings at RS/N etc, e.g. archive19: "it falls under the WP:SPS portion of WP:V--it may be used to establish non-controversial facts about the subject but not establish notability or make claims about other subjects". I'm not sure how to incorporate this yet, whether a separate section or within existing one, so I thought to ask here first. - PrBeacon (talk) 03:09, 9 December 2010 (UTC)
What do official statements qualify as? I'd like to start a new Wikipedia article on this subject, any ideas? Jardycoho ( talk) 23:17, 5 July 2011 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
What is the copyright status of press releases. Are they in the public domain, by definition? Christiaan
Can people have a hunt around for opinions from lawyers and other sources to cite? Are there any historical cases in law with regard to press release copyright? It'd be nice to introduce a comprehensive paragraph into the article on this topic. Christiaan 13:28, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)
I would like to point out that even if press releases are public domain or "free to use for any purpose" they are rarely labelled as even "press releases." We see them, we know that was their intention, but without clear indication that it is a press release, it can't be used anyway. There is some talk about this at my talk page if you would like to see it. Foofy 20:16, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
I'd also like a professional opinion of the GFDL compatibility of promotional photos sent out with press releases. I believe they are at least fair use, but a full legal rationale would be useful to add to Category:Promotional photos and related pages. Catherine\ talk 07:32, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Here's the current text of {{ promophoto}}:
This work is a copyrighted publicity photograph. It is believed that the use of some such photographs to illustrate:
qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.
Other use of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. See Wikipedia:Fair use and Wikipedia:Publicity photos.
Additionally, the copyright holder may have granted permission for use in works such as Wikipedia. However, if they have, this permission likely does not fall under a free license. As well, commercial third-party reusers of this image should consider whether their use is in violation of the subject's publicity rights, if the photograph is of a person.
To the uploader: This tag should only be used for images of a person, product, or event that is known to have come from a press kit or similar source, for the purpose of reuse by the media. Please add a detailed fair use rationale as described on Wikipedia:Image description page, as well as the source of the image, the photographer, and copyright information. Additionally, if the copyright holder has granted permission, please provide further details as to the terms.
I've often wondered why news releases often end in "-30-". Is there some significance to the number 30? - Oddtoddnm
But why the 30 or the XXX? Why not 20 or XX? I'm also seeing some copy just having "-end-" at the bottom. Ss1013 13:03, 22 March 2007 (UTC)ss1013
One of my PR profs mentioned that the "-30-" was a telegraph code to indicate the end of the release. However, she didn't offer any evidence to support this and I have not found any on the Internet. On Morse Code sites, the codes for 'end transmission' and 'end of message' are completely different than "-30-". It's an intriguing suggestion, though. Twinchester 16:35, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
" What Wikipedia is not" says: ... Wikipedia articles should not include instruction - advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. This includes tutorials, walk-throughs, instruction manuals, and recipes, hence I have removed the section "Writing a News Release". -- Ezeu 01:01, 20 November 2005 (UTC)
Press Releases are not in the public domain. They are in fact covered under the same copyright laws as any other work.
Here's the kicker -- it's not enforced. You're not going to find any company turning down any news organization from posting their press release.
Also -- when a company uses a newswire to distribute their press release, many newswire take ownership and provide their own license for use, which is usually *very* loose.
The truth is, most journalists don't post press releases in their original form. That's widely considered bad journalism; you'll never find a PR in the New York Times.
In this article about News Releases, the "Origins" section has only a sentence or two and they are only about where -30- came from. It is NOT about the origins of press releases. So I am suggesting someone in the know consider improving the Origins section, the Origins title, whatever. Thanks. -- SafeLibraries 06:42, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Press Releases, due to the fact they announce news are also another form of advertising and marketing. Due to the increase of businesses online and the increase in press release submission websites online, they are another method of indirectly promoting, whether negatively or postiively, a business. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Snowflys ( talk • contribs) 09:19, 6 March 2010 (UTC)
In the opening paragraph, the sentence "Commercial press-release distribution services such as Business Wire and PR Newswire are also used to distribute news releases." has been frequently replaced by "Commercial press-release distribution services such as [http://www.eworldwire.com Eworldwire] are also used to distribute news releases." These edits have been performed starting 20:49 20 May 2007 and were performed by the users User:75.209.158.142, User:75.211.34.88, User:75.194.193.238 (twice), and User:68.236.220.129, whose contributions are exclusively on this page, of this nature.
These edits were reverted by User:Barnabypage, User:Corvus_cornix, and me. Since the first step of edit-conflict resolution on WP:CR is to discuss, I am doing so. I ask those users who are attempting this change to come forward with support for their actions. Otherwise, I will request that this page be semi-protected. -- RealGrouchy 22:31, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
Can we add a section for press release distribution services? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.88.24.21 ( talk) 06:55, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
User:75.198.37.84 has suggested that Pressemelding is not the correct Norwegian term for press release. Googling certainly seems to suggest that it is, but as I don't speak the language I won't restore it without confirmation. Can anyone who either speaks Norwegian or has an appropriate reference to hand shed light on this? Barnabypage 13:18, 4 September 2007 (UTC)
I would say that news release, media release, and press release are effectively synonymous and we are misleading users of Wikipedia by drawing distinctions among them. (I agree that a press statement is subtly different.) Does anyone have any strong views, opposing or concurring, on this before I make the necessary edits? Barnabypage ( talk) 12:59, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
I pulled the entire contents of the References section:
None was actually used as a reference, as none was specifically referred to in the text. It's not clear that any are appropriate references in any case; one is just a dictionary definition from Encarta, and one is a dicdef from a glossary of terms somewhere, and one is a random piece from Wikihow.
Let's try limiting ourselves to references to which we actually refer, shall we? TenOfAllTrades( talk) 13:05, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
The last sentence of the first paragraph read "Commercial press-release distribution services are also used to distribute them". Leaves out an entire new segment of "Free" press release disrribution services that have taken a foot hold over the past 5 years.
Starting around 2005 a large number of free press release distribution services began publishing press releases online. Since then sites like PRlog.org, PR.com, 1888pressrelease.com, PR-Inside.com and BigNews.biz have traffic and a user base that are on par with and in some cases exceed the commercial "pay for service" distribution sites such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, PRWeb and Canada Newswire.
I would suggest changing that sentence to read "Online Press release distribution services are often used to distribute them." —Preceding unsigned comment added by Erthlng ( talk • contribs) 21:47, 20 February 2010 (UTC)
I agree except I would call it "Internet Press Release Website Submission services and would add this list to help webmasters and visitors both view and use them as a reference. Internet Press Release Website Submission List [4] Snowflys ( talk) 09:12, 6 March 2010 (UTC)
I think we can add an internet section that talks about free or open source resources that can be used for press release distribution and publishing. Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 06:46, 8 December 2010 (UTC) Because unlike traditional publishing, it is now easy to publish and distribute press release on internet without any cost. So I think a section on internet based press release distribution and publishing can be added. Also there are thousands of journalists and users subscribed to internet based press release distribution services. Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 06:50, 8 December 2010 (UTC)
Internet and social media heavily influence press release distribution. Can a new article on internet based news and press release distribution be introduced from the "Internet" section of the article? Wiki1985contribute ( talk) 07:40, 8 December 2010 (UTC)
Totally agree. Not having information on the #1 way people distribute press releases (Websites) is a big oversight. People don't fax or mail them anymore, as this article indicates. So, I added a paragraph about that. A user completely deleted the entire thing, because I included a couple examples, but I reversed it, because this paragraph makes the page stronger. I assume in good faith the person was not vandalizing the page, but I need to see how it plays out. We need to make sure the page moves forward and is more accurate and useful, not backward and less accurate and useful. -- Adam00 ( talk) 02:42, 7 September 2011 (UTC)
Although the lead mentions their use as a tool in Public Relations, I think the article can be improved by explicitly stating that press releases are often not reliable sources of controversial/editorial information. A quick search of wikipedia using "WP:press release POV" brings up several listings at RS/N etc, e.g. archive19: "it falls under the WP:SPS portion of WP:V--it may be used to establish non-controversial facts about the subject but not establish notability or make claims about other subjects". I'm not sure how to incorporate this yet, whether a separate section or within existing one, so I thought to ask here first. - PrBeacon (talk) 03:09, 9 December 2010 (UTC)
What do official statements qualify as? I'd like to start a new Wikipedia article on this subject, any ideas? Jardycoho ( talk) 23:17, 5 July 2011 (UTC)