Wikimedia Armenia/Reports/2013-05

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2013
May

Organization establishment

Wikimedia meetup in May

Wikimedia Armenia was founded on 14th May 2013 and is a chapter of Wikimedia Foundation. It is a scientific-educational non-governmental organization which aims to promote free knowledge and Wikimedia projects, as well as attract new Wikimedians in Armenia and in the region. It does not pursue any goals of earning profits and does not distribute the obtained profits among its members. The founding members are Susanna Mkrtchyan, Haykaz Avetisyan, Mher Bekaryan, Ashot Gabrielyan, Erjanik Galstyan, Avetik Yessayan, Robert Tatoyan, Lilit Tarkhanyan, Vachagan Gratyan, Arman Musikyan, Aleksey Chalabyan, Karen Terteryan. The registration number is 211.171.767514. The goals of WMA according to the organization bylaw are.

1. Support knowledge and education in Armenia, create and disseminate open content.
2. Promote discussions, researches on social, cultural and practical aspects of open content.
3. Encourage volunteer work for the achievement of above mentioned objectives.
4. Improve the implementation and dissemination of Wiki technologies in Armenia, especially in the education sphere.
5. Organize Wiki conferences, hackatons.
6. Implement any other activities that are not violating legislation of RA and statutes of this Articles of Association.

Freedom of panorama in Armenia

Before the organization of the Armenian Wiki Loves Monuments WMAM community had to face the fact that Armenian laws does not allow freedom of panorama. Prior to late April 2013, photography on the streets as well as publishing photos of relatively young buildings had commercial restrictions. Wikimedia Armenia team in the lead of Susanna Mkrtchyan undertook the task to make changes in Armenian Copyright low. Change requests were addressed to the National Assembly & Ministry of Justice of Armenia. After prolonged negotiations and discussions between these governmental institutions and WMAM the Copyright law amendments was finally put to a vote in National Assembly. It was passed the vote in the end of April 2013, which eventually allowed freedom of panorama in Armenia. Freedom of Panorama in Armenia applies to works "which are located on streets, parks, squares and other places open for attendance" (Article 25 of Law on Copyright and Related Rights).

WikiConference 2013 Yerevan preparations

In early May WC2013 Yerevan organizing team had fixed meetings every Tuesday. On 23th September Armenian page of the conference was set up on Armenian Wikimedia and on 28th English page of the conference was set up on Meta-Wiki.