Commons:Categories for discussion/2024/11/Category:Old maps

Category:Old maps

Sbb1413 added Category:Maps in the public domain but this cat contains Category:Maps made in the 21st century which don't seem to all be PD. Should this cat be removed or a new subcategory be created or the category scope be changed so all non-PD-maps are removed? Prototyperspective (talk) 12:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I used to think that Category:Old maps would include only the maps whose copyright terms were expired. I don't know who has put Category:Maps by century under this category, which should be removed. BTW, categories starting with "historic(al)" or "old" are now discouraged, see Commons:Categories for discussion/2024/04/Category:Historic buildings. But this may or may not be an exception, even though it is a bit redundant to Category:Maps by century, Category:Maps by decade, Category:Maps by year, etc. Sbb1413 (he) (talk • contribs • uploads) 13:02, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Commons has a definition for "old maps" and public domain is not part of that definition.
∞∞ Enhancing999 (talk) 13:09, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The question would be whether "maps authored over 70 years ago, that is, in 1953 or earlier" are all public domain. I don't think that is the case as of now albeit it's absurd that they aren't. Prototyperspective (talk) 13:17, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Aren't most works made slightly more than 70 years ago, not public domain? Why would it be different.

Anyways, I don't think it's a good idea to mix topical considerations with copyright questions.
∞∞ Enhancing999 (talk) 17:25, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest that we rework the "old maps" definition. Given how many "recent maps from 1956" seem slightly outdated today, we could shorten the "old" definition down to 50 years. By next decade, I would even support the radical idea of declaring all maps of the 20th c. "old".

On the "maps of <location> by century" mentioned by Sbb above... yes, those are often aggravating and people should stop creating those categories unless there are really more than just three child categories.

Agreed with Enhancing, copyright isn't part of the consideration (and agreed with Prototyper on the sidenote, copyright terms are absurdly long). --Enyavar (talk) 18:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Old maps" as category is probably not satisfactory and might not be recommended, but re-categorizing "old maps" e.g. by century is an immense task and often the data is lacking or ambiguous. I could elaborate a considerable number of problems with categorizing maps - old or new. Periegetes (talk) 12:48, 29 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]