Creative Commons
Legal Definitions
A. Creative Commons isâ¦
Creative Commons is a free licensing system that enables copyright holders to share their works more freely with others. Launched in 2002, the Creative Commons licensing system was founded by Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig.
The purpose of the Creative Commons system is to permit authors to share their works under more liberal or generous terms than available under copyright law. Through the use of icons that represent legal licenses, Creative Commons allows authors to express to the public what they can and cannot do with their creative works, with the goal of fostering creativity, remix, reuse, mash-ups and general file sharing.
B. Creative Commons is notâ¦
A Creative Commons license does not require you to give up control over your copyrighted work. Instead, you decide what others can and cannot do with your work, and choose a license that reflects these uses. For example, if you want others to be able to adapt and remix your work, you can choose a license that reflects this. If you want to let others freely distribute your work, but not alter it, you can select a license accordingly. There are a total of six licenses to choose from. Each features a different set of restrictions.
C. Obtaining a Creative Commons licenseâ¦
To apply a Creative Commons license to your creative work, you must visit the Creative Commons website. The site requires you to fill out a simple form (no personal information) to generate the appropriate licensing language. Once the license is created (it takes about 5 seconds), you will have the necessary legal language, as well as an icon that you can place on your work, to inform others of which uses you will and will not allow.
Visit the licenses page of Creative Commons to view the licensing options.
Mash up
In Fall 2008, we applied for a grant with WGBH. They are interested in taking the mash up to the next level in 09-10, provided funding is obtained. Denise Blumenthal is contact.