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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · 3h

Wikimedia Foundation board elections are open until 22 October. Two seats need to be filled.

Editors with 300 edits before July 28, 2025 across Wikimedia wikis and at least 20 edits between August 28, 2024 and July 28, 2025 may vote.

Wikimedia Foundation elections/2025 - Meta-Wiki

meta.wikimedia.org

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · 28d

The Wikimedia Foundation is taking a SLAPP case to the European Court of Human Rights. The hope is that the case and its rulings serve to bring about greater protections against overbroad claims. Details here:
medium.com/wikimedia-po...

What Happened in the César do Paço Lawsuit?

The Wikimedia Foundation argues this case and its rulings can strengthen EU protections against chilling SLAPP cases and defend human…

medium.com

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Aug 21

It could be claimed that this tactic amounts to a SLAPP case, as the charge was extremely broad, as confirmed by the court.

Important to note that this was a ruling on a preliminary injunction. Another court case in Portugal is to follow, as well as the ECHR challenge.

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Aug 21

The year-long legal wrangling is about the article on Caesar DePaço, who wants public information about him to be removed. The court struck down the vast majority his claims, but left a few standing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_...

Caesar DePaço - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Aug 21

A Portuguese court has order the removal of some edits of Wikipedia article. It also ruled that the Wikimedia Foundation has to hand over IP & email addresses of users. WMF is complying, but also appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2025-08-09/News and notes - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Aug 6

Training for Wikimedians on online child safety at #Wikimania in Nairobi: How to recognise different types of CSAM & CSEM and how to react. Not a pleasant session, but an important one.

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jul 21

The Danish government is suggesting to amend its copyright to add:
1. A general protection against realistic, digitally generated imitations of personal characteristics.
2. An imitation protection for performers.

The deadline for comments is 21 August 2025: hoeringsportalen.dk/Hearing/Deta...

Høring over forslag til lov om ændring af lov om ophavsret (Indførelse af en præstationsbeskyttelse og beskyttelse mod digitalt genererede efterligninger mv.)

hoeringsportalen.dk

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jul 15

German toymaker Ravensburger used the Vitruvian Man, copyright long expired, on a jigsaw puzzle. Italy claimed that its Cultural Heritage Code extends protection, even beyond Italy.
A German court now ruled against this.

@justusdreyling.bsky.social from @communia.bsky.social has the write-up:

Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart confirms territoriality of Italian Cultural Heritage Code

On June 11th, the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart largely upheld the 2024 decision of the Regional Court of Stuttgart, confirming that the Italian Cultural Heritage Code cannot be enforced outside ...

communia-association.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jul 12

IMHO this is a relocation flight.

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jul 10

China’s fifth veto of Wikimedia’s requests for accreditation denies permanent observer status at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the UN specialised agency that shapes global intellectual property (IP) policies and the future of open access to knowledge.

For fifth time, China blocks Wikimedia Foundation as permanent observer to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – Wikimedia Foundation

On 9 July 2025, the Wikimedia Foundation was denied permanent observer status at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

wikimediafoundation.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jul 2

An experiment to show AI-generated summaries on the top of Wikipedia articles was halted. The community responded, criticising inaccuracies in the sample.

The editing community is now discussing its position on large language models and Wikipedia. Check it out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jun 28

Wikinews is one of the lesser known Wikimedia projects. It doesn't attract many volunteer editors, which means it struggles staying up-to-date and sometimes with reliability. There is now a public consultation about possibly closing it down (a move I personally support).

Public consultation about Wikinews - Meta

meta.wikimedia.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jun 27

The @wikimediafoundation.org has updated its terms of use to adjust language for clarity, to be up to date with suggestions from our first Digital Services Act (DSA) audit and to make sure the language of the legal sections aligns with international case law. Six small-ish changes.

Administrative update to the Wikimedia Foundation Terms of Use

This blog is to share that the Wikimedia Foundation has made an administrative update to our Terms of Use (ToU) and what that means. You can see the changes here! To start, an administrative updat…

diff.wikimedia.org

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jun 24

Belarusian Wikipedia sysop Maksim Lepushenka was arrested last month, becoming the latest Wikipedian arrested in Belarus. Lepushenka's account has since globally locked by the community, as a compromised account.

Another Belarusian Wikipedian, Olga Sitnik, was arrested in April. More: w.wiki/EZ2R

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Jun 4

I find it quite intriguing that Air India calls the Gulf countries Middle East, and Japan/Korea/China Far East. From an Indian perspective I would have to expected different names.

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Reposted by Dimi Zagorski

Wikimedia Foundation @wikimediafoundation.org · May 8

We are challenging the lawfulness of the UK’s Online Safety Act Categorisation Regulations, which determine our obligations under UK laws.

These rules create unacceptable risks for Wikipedia’s volunteer users, such as disempowering those who wish to keep their identity private.

Read ➡️ w.wiki/E3XD

The Royal Courts of Justice main gate. Text says "Wikimedia Foundation brings legal challenge to new UK Online Safety Act requirements".

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · May 8

The Wikimedia Foundation is challenging the lawfulness of the UK's Online Safety Act. It would require the verification of the identity of Wikipedia users and to allow users to block unverified users from editing. This would break Wikipedia's content moderation.

Wikipedia’s Nonprofit Host Brings Legal Challenge to New Online Safety Act (OSA) Regulations

The Wikimedia Foundation is legally challenging OSA’s broad new categorization rules, which risk imposing Category 1 duties on Wikipedia

medium.com

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Mar 6

The Polish government returns to truly free licensing.

wikimedia.brussels/polish-gover...

1

Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Feb 25

We should start using the terms "Middle West" ("Near West") and "Far West" when it comes to geopolitics.

Reposted by Dimi Zagorski

Frédéric Moreau @goodclimate.bsky.social · Feb 21

2025 is Art Deco Year. The Belgian capital itself is a 24/7 open-air exhibition of the style and I wrote about it for the new Brussels Times Magazine.

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Dec 17

How election information gets edited and spreads across Wikipedias is important. Together with @ivir-uva.bsky.social and @eurecat.bsky.social we are currently researching the data around the 2024 EP elections to learn what works and what doesn't in countering disinformation.

Wikimedia Europe Partners for Research into Wikipedia’s Practices on Information on Elections – Wikimedia Europe

wikimedia.brussels

Reposted by Dimi Zagorski

communia @communia.bsky.social · Nov 25

The saga around the Italian cultural heritage code continues.

After previous cases have already targeted:
🔸 GQ magazine
🔸 Clothing articles by Jean Paul Gautier
🔸 A puzzle
This time, the culprit is (🧐checks notes) balsamic vinegar.

More: communia-association.org/2024/11/25/a...

A case as sweet and sour as balsamic vinegar

We have extensively followed the saga around the Italian cultural heritage code, as evidenced by a series of blog posts on lawsuits involving commercial uses of Public Domain works in Italian collecti...

communia-association.org

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Reposted by Dimi Zagorski

Charlie Holland @charlieholland.bsky.social · Nov 23

Between you and I, Paris Musées have 372,542 rights-free images you can simply download, at hi-res, and use as you choose. Isn’t that just brilliant and please can UK institutions emulate them?

Portrait de Hanlon-Lee (les), acteurs
Atelier Nadar , Photographe
Entre 1860 et 1890
2e moitié du 19e siècle
Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris
PH51631
CC0 Paris Musées / Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris

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Dimi Zagorski @dimi.wikimedia.brussels · Nov 22

The annual audit report of Wikipedia, as required by the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), has now been published.

Its intention is to independently assess how Wikipedia recognises and mitigates systemic risks, such as harassment and disinformation.

Legal:EU Compliance/DSA Publication Archive - Wikimedia Foundation Governance Wiki

foundation.m.wikimedia.org