Wikipedia:Text copyright violations 101

Everything is an issue

If the entire article is a problem and any remaining text could not survive, check the page history:

• If the article has foundational copyvio (there since creation) and there's no ownership or permission asserted, nominate it for speedy deletion with {{db-copyvio|url=URL of source}}
• If the article was started with different text, check to see if the copyvio was recently added. If it was, revert to a clean version.
  • You can put {{subst:cclean|url=URL of source}} at the article's talk page to explain your action.
  • Please warn the editor who added it with {{subst:uw-copyvio|article}} or {{subst:uw-copyvio-new|article}} at their talk page, especially if it was recently added.
• If the copyvio is not eligible for speedy deletion but is foundational or extensive, blank the article with {{subst:copyvio|url=URL of source}} and follow the instructions on the template to list the article at copyright problems (CPN) and warn the user.

The article is partially an issue

• Check the history. If the text was recently added, revert or remove the text as a copyright violation.
  • Please warn the user that added the text using {{subst:uw-copyvio|article}} or {{subst:uw-copyvio-new|article}}.
• If appropriate, request revision deletion of the reverted edits by adding {{copyvio-revdel}}.
• If the copied text is difficult to remove or too complex for you to handle, blank the sections with {{subst:copyvio|url=URL of source}} and follow the instructions to list at CPN.

Partial infringement

If you can revert copyvio cleanly without impacting other parts of an article, handle this as though it were a Complete infringement (below).

If the copyvio cannot be immediately reverted because other parts of the article have been expanded in the meantime:

• Remove the copyvio
• Check to see if the contributor (if relatively recent) has been warned and if additional actions, such as a block or contributor copyright investigations (CCI) is needed.
• If appropriate, perform revision deletion.

Complete infringement

Articles that are majority or entirely copyvio are handled depending on two things: how old the copyvio is in the article history and if there is any type of claim of permission or ownership of content made. They are handled in one of three ways depending on these factors:

1. Foundational (there since creation) unambiguous copyright violations with no pending permission statement:
   • Handle through speedy deletion.
2. Foundational but not an unambiguous copyright violation, extensively copied but not foundational, or permission is pending:
   • Blank the article with {{subst:copyvio|url=URL to copied source}} and follow the instructions on the template to list the article at CPN and warn the contributor.
3. Not foundational and no pending permission statement:
   • Revert the article to the last known clean version or remove the copyvio manually.
   • Perform revision deletion.
   • Do not hide contributor names unless there is valid reason to under a different revision deletion criteria. This is done to preserve attribution.

Sample scenarios

• A software article adds the software's code into the article. The code should be removed, as there is no license compatibility between Creative Commons licenses and free software licenses.
• A film stub has a 2-line lead and basic cast information. Someone copy-pastes the synopsis from IMDB. After that, other editors add the production and reception sections without expanding the synopsis. The synopsis should be removed. Revision delete with discretion, depending on the amount of revisions and text removed.
• The same film stub gets the same synopsis, and the synopsis is then gradually expanded and partially rewritten, and only the first two paragraphs of the original material remain. Remove the fully copied content, and then check for too-close paraphrasing in the partially rewritten content and remove as necessary.
• Someone copy-pastes the synopsis from IMDB. It is caught quickly, and rolled back to the revision before the copy-pasting occurred. All subsequent revisions containing the copyvio are reverted and revision deleted.

Sounds too complex? Tag it with {{subst:copyvio|url=link to source}} instead; volunteers at WP:CP will deal with it.