I know that the class was exposed to the Creative Commons website and idea, but I wanted to explore the website further. This entry will not be based on an article, but on a thorough review of the website itself.
Creative Commons is a web-based “tax-exempt charitable corporation” created to provide alternative methods of copyright licensing for works created and posted on the internet. The developers allow individual creators to choose for themselves the exact form in which their work can be used. The website provides a dynamic set of licenses designed for this goal. The main idea behind Creative Commons is to redefine what copyright laws can be in the face of expanding internet use, creativity, and re-creativity. The current all-or-nothing copyright laws are deemed antiquated and overly restrictive. Creative Commons does not endorse stealing, but wishes to accredit original creators at the same time allowing derivative creativity to flourish.
The first thing you see when your browser loads the CC home page is a large map pinpointing the amount of money contributed to CC as well as the world-wide locations of it’s donors. The home page also includes numerous Creative Commons related web-articles from all over the world. If the user knew nothing else about Creative Commons before coming to the website, I feel as if their initial impressions would be of awe and respect for the international community this cause has created. From the home page, the next point of interest is the “About” page. This is where Creative Commons provides detailed information about each of their licensing options. Keeping true to the art-form, the About page also contains biographies of the CC creators, FAQ’s, the legal support behind the project, press releases, the history of the copyright issue, information to know before choosing a license, as well as videos and comics that deal with how Creative Commons works! Talk about catering to the masses? There is a little something for everybody: to-the-point information, introduction to the issue and staff, FAQs, and visually based learning tools to bring it all home! If you want to get started with Creative Commons right now, stop reading this and check out the About page!
One of the most interesting things about Creative Commons is their dedication and reach. As previously stated, CC is an American based group, but not solely American minded. The staff realizes that in order to be successful in any way, Creative Commons has to extend as far as the internet itself, meaning at home and abroad. The rest of the tabs include a merchandise store. The store is clearly multifunctional in that the spread of the CC label not only creates awareness, but it also brings in revenue to the company for the continuation of its future projects. The cunning consumer may shrewdly ask, “Before I plug in my credit card number…just what are these future projects to which I am contributing?” That is a completely valid question, and one that is also answered by Creative Commons. The “Projects” and “International” sections of the website outline the ever developing branches of Creative Commons within the United States as well as abroad. Since different fields require different methods of copyright, CC has to earn entry into the creative worlds of science, academia, in addition to entertainment. Perhaps an even bigger challenge is figuring out how to adapt CC to another country’s legal system, requiring legal as well as translation help from multiple sources. Basically, this page tells you everything you need to know, and then some. If you have any questions, about how you can participate, or about CC in general there are sections for that as well!
www.CreativeCommons.org
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