Creative Commons

Creative commons are a series of licences that adapt the usual copyright licence, where all rights are reserved, to allow users to freely share and modify material without having to contact the creator. When researching this concept I first visited the website of the company ‘Creative Commons’, the original developers of the concept. Their video gives a brief overview of the licensing system and I came away persuaded that it was a good idea. The video shows the process of tailoring the licence to the individual’s preferences, by answering a few simple questions including whether commercial companies can use the material. Reading the information brochures provided by the Australian Copyright Council, made me consider the issue more carefully. My first realisation was that the Creative Commons website dissuades you from thinking deeply about the issue, they keep the focus on how quick and easy their licensing system is; how they have collaborated with copyright lawyers from around the world; that you are in control of your licensing agreement. What the Australian Copyright Council does is temper your excitement and encourage you to think carefully before giving away any rights. I feel that their most important point is that once you adopt a CC licence you cannot change it. This makes sense as if prevents scams whereby someone initially allows people to use their work then revokes those rights and sues for breach of copyright. You must choose your licensing agreement carefully. The council suggests you look at alternative licenses that might better suit your needs. They also suggest that you look carefully at the lawyer speak on the licences as the licence names may be misleading. The example the council gives is that the ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ licence which is suppose to prevent people using your work within their own, does allow people to record your music and make films of your scrips as these are deemed reproductions. If you are considering using a CC licence first read the information brochure then research alternative licences and just what the CC licence allows the user to do.