Reusing free content
Free content is defined as any cultural work that can be freely studied, applied, copied, and modified.[1] Articles on Wikipedia and content on other Wikimedia projects are licensed as free content under a variety of free licenses, including Creative Commons licenses and others. This page shows you how to properly attribute free content from Wikimedia in your apps.
1. Check the license
Before you include a piece of free content in your app, check the license. In general, Wikimedia projects use free licenses, but there are exceptions. Being aware of the license helps you comply with any restrictions and avoid surprises.
Most Wikipedias are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License (CC BY-SA 4.0), but it’s a good idea to check the bottom of the page on any Wikipedia to confirm the license. Some projects, like Wikimedia Commons, license pieces of content individually, so it’s important to check the content page for the applicable license. Most licenses ask that you state the license and link to the license text when providing attribution.
2. Provide attribution
Most Wikimedia content is licensed under a free license that requires attribution. This includes CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY 2.5. In most cases attribution includes the title, author, source, and license, but this can vary. Check the applicable license for specific requirements.
3. Indicate changes
If you make any changes to the content, it’s important to indicate this in the attribution. For modified content, make sure to state clearly that modifications have been made. Some licenses, like the Creative Commons ShareAlike (SA) licenses, require that you license your modifications under the same license or a compatible license. Always check the applicable license for requirements for handling modifications.
Wikipedia and Wikimedia logos
To learn about using Wikipedia and other Wikimedia logos, read the Wikimedia trademark policy.