What is Creative Commons and Why Do We Need It?

Tension Between the Exchange of Ideas and Copyright

In the past creators of content had to choose between Copyrighting their material (which required asking permission) and Public Domain (which released all rights). Content creators wanted a better system where they could retain the copyright but also share their works within specified limits. This was the inspiration for Creative Commons.

The Creative Commons video page has a transcript of this video. Links to an external site.

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that enables sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge through the provision of free legal tools. Our legal tools help those who want to encourage reuse of their works by offering them for use under generous, standardized terms; those who want to make creative uses of works; and those who want to benefit from this symbiosis. Their vision is to help others realize the full potential of the internet. CC has affiliates all over the world Links to an external site. who help ensure the licenses work internationally and who raise awareness of the work done by Creative Commons.

Although Creative Commons is best known for its licenses, their work extends beyond just providing copyright licenses. CC offers other legal and technical tools that also facilitate sharing and discovery of creative works, such as CC0 Links to an external site., a public domain dedication for rights holders who wish to put their work into the public domain before the expiration of copyright, and the Public Domain Mark Links to an external site., a tool for marking a work that is in the worldwide public domain. Creative Commons licenses and tools were designed specifically to work with the web, which makes content that is offered under their terms easy to search for, discover, and use.  [from the Creative Commons Website Links to an external site.]

Optional ASCCC OERI Webinars

Creative Commons, Copyright, and Fair Use – Why do we need OER?  Links to an external site. What is the difference between free content, open content, and fair use? Educators often overestimate what they can do with the fair use copyright exception and underestimate their options with open resources. Join us to learn about the requirements of fair use as well as how to interpret Creative Commons licenses.  

History of Creative Commons

Here is an infographic on the history of the creation of Creative Commons:

History of Creative Commons.pdf Download History of Creative Commons.pdf

Transcript of infographic. Links to an external site.

Attributions