Creative Commons

In the Media Studies senior seminar last semester we spent a lot of time looking at copyright and intellectual property rights. One of the organizations that came up was Creative Commons, a non-profit group that allows people to select an option for creative control of their work somewhere between the "all rights reserved" copyright and the complete free use (and potential exploitation) of putting their projects into the public domain. Creative Commons allows creators to draw up flexible copyrights that permit some uses of their works but not others.

For example, a singer-songwriter could get a Creative Commons license that allows others to distribute and play his/her songs - and any derivative works based on the songs - but only for noncommercial purposes. Another singer-songwriter could opt for a license that allows his/her original works to be distributed or performed by others but would not allow people to derive other works from his/her originals. The website does all the work for you, for free. You simply select which type of license you want and it will give it to you in three forms, a plain-language summary, a fine print version that can be used in court, and in digital code so that online applications can identify your work by its terms of use.

This is a short video from the site that explains the process with more clarity (and animation) than I just did:

There are a bunch more videos on the site.

These licenses are a great option for not-yet-established artists who want to get their work out there without giving it away completely.

One fairly well-known YouTuber who uses a Creative Commons license? Tay Zonday of "Chocolate Rain" fame.

- Allison