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Open Access and Copyright

An introduction to open access and copyright.
Creative Commons: The Story Behind the Licenses

 

A little history...

Copyright law was developed to grant creators exclusive rights to their original works to protect them from being copied or used. The advent of the internet gave us the opportunity to access, share, and collaborate, creating a conflict between the will to share and the copyright law forbidding it.

In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) extended copyright for individuals to the life of the creator plus 70 years in the United States. Incidentally, this happened just before the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, would have become part of the public domain, making the act sometimes referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. Eric Eldred, a web publisher who made previously copyrighted works available when they entered public domain, questioned the constitutionality of the 1998 CTEA. Together with his lawyer, Lawrence Lessig, he unsuccessfully challenged the act in the Supreme Court.

In response, Lessig and others founded Creative Commons as a non-profit organization in 2001 and in 2002 introduced Creative Commons licenses - a collection of free, public licenses designed to let creators retain their copyrights while offering more flexible sharing options compared to the default "all rights reserved" approach.

CC licenses now apply to over 2.5 billion works online and are considered the global standard for open licensing. CC licenses help alleviate the issues with strict copyright rules for textbook publishing, documentary films, and academic research. They are free to use and continually updated.

Slide presentation -  Creative Commons: The Story Behind the Licenses

 

Creative Commons the Organization

 

The non-profit organization focuses on global copyright reform for the open movement by supporting community empowerment. It helps individuals, institutions, and governments understand policy, legal, and technology options for promoting and sharing open creativity for the common good.

The CC Global Network (CCGN) is a community of advocates, activists, scholars, artists, and users working to strengthen the open movement. There are over 830 members and 49 chapters across the world. Network Platforms are designed for volunteers to collaborate on projects and activities involving copyright, open culture, and open education. To find out more visit https://network.creativecommons.org/get-involved/.