Commons:Deletion requests/File:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg

This deletion discussion is now closed. Please do not make any edits to this archive. You can read the deletion policy or ask a question at the Village pump. If the circumstances surrounding this file have changed in a notable manner, you may re-nominate this file or ask for it to be undeleted.

File:Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg

Copyrighted by Government of Sri Lanka (PD 50 years after death of last author, no execptions for Official or Government Works). http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Licensing#Official_works - The exception for government and other works is very limited: "Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 6 and 7, no protection shall be extended under this Part. Share Bear (talk) 12:41, 21 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - old design, see File:Flag of the King of Kandy in 1815.svg. /Pieter Kuiper (talk) 13:25, 21 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Keep Described in the National Constitution. User:Zscout370 ^{(Return fire)} 18:40, 21 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
- Still does not explain why copyrighted image should be allowed. Image is owned by government of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan copyright law does not allow for usage without permission.
Keep And despite Share Bear's interjection, still no proof the flag is copyrighted. Fry1989 ^eh? 22:57, 21 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Comment: Related DR's Commons:Deletion requests/File:Coat of arms of Sri Lanka.svg and Commons:Deletion requests/File:Sri Lankan Army Flag.svg./Lokal _Profil 18:40, 22 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Now that I got my Internet back up and going, I did some research and I do not believe the nominator is telling us the full story. In the 2003 copyright law, which can be seen and downloaded from here, there is a statement for government works. The passage reads in whole:

"8. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 6 and 7, no protection shall be extended under this Part —

(b) to any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof ;"

Now, as I mentioned before, the Constitution of Sri Lanka does mention the flag and gives a drawing of the flag. This is an official legislative (or legal, depends on what you think) document, telling us what the flag looks like. The second term, administrative, is going to be key for this DR and why I feel it should be kept. There is a document issued by the Sri Lanka Standard Institution, a part of the Ministry of Advanced Technology and National Enterprise Development, titled "SLS 693 - National flag of Sri Lanka." This document gives the precise details of the national flag, down to the sizes of all elements of the flags and the color shades that it has. This document, of an administrative nature, was issued by a government ministry (and if it is in English, translations are also given no copyright status). This document is in English and it is perfectly acceptable in the terms of the copyright terms provided in the law. User:Zscout370 ^{(Return fire)} 19:20, 22 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Images aren't text, and renditions of non-geometric shapes based on descriptions are copyrightable. Use of government emblems are controlled in many jurisdictions, including in the United States. TechnoSymbiosis (talk) 01:09, 26 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The second document gives textual descriptions of all elements and the lion is used in various flags in the past. User:Zscout370 ^{(Return fire)} 13:10, 26 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bingo. The lion design is nothing new. It's been on Sri Lankan flags throughout history. So that's not copyrightable. The rest of it is basic shapes, and is in text so it's out too. This flag, and it's derivatives can stay. Fry1989 ^eh? 00:26, 27 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Keep – Come on; national insignias should be able to watch by everyone... Mboro (talk) 00:42, 27 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Kept: No valid reason for deletion. See Pieter K. Yann (talk) 09:29, 28 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]