 | This page is a policy on Bharatpedia. Many people agree with it. They see it as a standard idea that all users should follow. When changing this page (except for minor errors like typos), please check that other people agree with your changes. Use the talk page when you are not sure or when you want to suggest a change. |
 | This page in a nutshell: If you post a legal threat on Bharatpedia, you are likely to be blocked indefinitely. A polite report of a legal problem, such as defamation or copyright infringement, is not a threat and will be acted on quickly. |
| Legal policies |
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Do not post legal threats on Bharatpedia. A legal threat, in this context, is a threat to engage in an off-wiki ("real life") legal or other governmental process that would target other editors or Bharatpedia itself. It does not refer to any dispute-resolution process within Bharatpedia. Legal threats should be reported to Bharatpedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents or elsewhere to an administrator. Users who post legal threats are typically blocked while the threats are outstanding.
Instead of making legal threats, consider using one of Bharatpedia's dispute resolution procedures. If your issue involves Bharatpedia itself, use Bharatpedia:Contact us or email legal-reports
bharatpedia.org.
The existence of a legal dispute between users, whether as a result of incidents on Bharatpedia or elsewhere, is not a valid reason to block, as long as no legal threats are made on Bharatpedia. Editors involved in a legal dispute should not edit articles about parties to the dispute, given the potential conflict of interest.
This policy is a conduct rule for on-wiki behaviour. It does not restrict anyone from exercising legal rights off-wiki under Indian law, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Copyright Act, 1957, or the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Notices that comply with those statutes, court orders, or intermediary-grievance procedures are not treated as prohibited "legal threats".
What is not a legal threat[edit source]
Copyright[edit source]
Complaints of copyright infringement are not legal threats. If you are the owner of copyrighted material that has been added to Bharatpedia, a statement about whether it is licensed for such use is welcome. You may contact the information team or use the procedures at Bharatpedia:Copyright problems.
Defamation[edit source]
A discussion as to whether material is defamatory is not a legal threat. The policy on defamation is to delete libel as soon as it is identified. If you believe that you are the subject of a defamatory statement, email legal-reportsbharatpedia.org.
Conflict of interest[edit source]
Making paid editors aware of the requirements of Bharatpedia's terms of use, or of Indian law against undisclosed advertising, is not a legal threat.
Perceived legal threats[edit source]
Always choose your words carefully when starting or responding to any discussions or disputes, as well as with any messages or communication with other users; you must refrain from making any comments that other editors may reasonably translate or interpret (even incorrectly) as legal threats. For example, if you assert that another editor's comments are "defamatory" or "libelous", that editor might interpret your communication as implying such a threat. Use less charged wording, such as "that statement about me is not true, and I ask that it be corrected."
Rationale[edit source]
Posting legal threats is uncivil behaviour that causes a number of problems:
- It inhibits free editing, risking one side of a dispute intimidating the other and causing a systemic bias.
- It creates bad feelings and lack of trust, making it difficult to assume good faith.
Using the dispute resolution process will often lead to a positive solution without resorting to making legal threats or engaging in other unacceptable behaviour.
Conclusion of legal threat[edit source]
The Bharatpedia community treats withdrawn statements made in anger or misjudgment as capable of being set aside once they are clearly retracted.
The aim is to prevent legal threats, not to keep bad content from being fixed. Editors should encourage the aggrieved user to identify errors in the article; a link to Bharatpedia:Contact us may be appropriate.
A user threatening a legal action on their talk page is limited in disruption. They should not be prevented from using their talk page until attempts have been made to open a civil discussion. Persistent or vexatious complaints may still lead to a block.