User talk:Kingsif/List of people named in The American Library (2018)

In case people ask about Wikipedia:Copyright in lists

There is creative copyright in how the names, as words, were presented, i.e. the design and order of the books in The American Library. But that is not being copied. The names as words in artwork does not amount to a creative list of people. Taken out of the artwork context, a list here is no more than independently identifying subjects featured in a piece of art. An accompanying database that was searchable existed, another format that is not a list and is not being copied; names at the artwork website are simply alphabetized for reference. The Cleveland Public Library explained their selection as neutral and based on existing records, i.e. no subjective judgment of "notable", with the only curation being an attempt to make sure there were people local to Cleveland included (see Walter, 2018); furthermore, there can always be assumed to be creative selection when an artist picks subjects, but a Wikipedia-compiled list of "people in X painting" is not a breach of copyright, and a different medium doesn't change this. A list of people here is relevant to the artwork, but is not a reproduction of the artwork. Kingsif (talk) 20:38, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]