The concept behind Creative Commons seems refreshingly innovative: there are artists and creators in the world who WANT to share their work with others, and allow reasonably controlled use by other artists for other purposes. This organization demonstrates that it is possible to retain control of your original content while inspiring others through their use.
Because there are so many options for licensing through Creative Commons, all written in plain English rather than legalese, the creator of original content can clearly communicate their intentions and requirements to anyone interested in using all or part of the work for their own purposes. For example, the Attribution option allows work to be shared, copied and distributed by someone other than the original copyright holder, provided that the work is properly attributed to the creator. The system also allows creators to spread the Creative Commons philosophy via the ShareAlike option, which requires that any derivative works created be shared under the same terms of the original work.
In the past many artists and creators have followed the "mine mine mine" philosophy of control, as demonstrated by J.K Rowling in her lawsuit against the Harry Potter Lexicon, working toward a more restrictive interpretation of the law. By searching for ways to become more collaborative, Creative Commons is better poised to function in this world of digital media as we know it today.
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Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI like how you have pointed out that the Creative Commons is there for those creators who WANT to share their work. I feel that it is nice that the CC law allows for the creator to decide for themselves if they want to share the use of their work or not. This still allows those who want what is theirs to only be theirs, but on the otherhand, those who are okay with their work being shared can as well. Nice post!