Earlier this TeleBlog discussed Creative Commons–a way for artists, writers, musicians and others to share material and promote themselves without permissions nightmares or onerous fees to frighten off each other or the public.
The Commons site now has thousands of explanatory words online.
Libraries and schools should keep a close eye on this one, not only as a source of material in the future, but also as a way for the latter to promote the works of talented students and faculty members who are interested in participating. Librarians, too, may want to contribute, not just use others’ material.
Check out some easy-to-understand hypothetical examples of Creative Commons in use. And then spread the word about the organization and think ahead in the context of your own intellectual property matters, so that, when the project is fully operational, you and your colleagues can benefit.
One especially promising area for Creative Commons, as I see it? Professional and academic journals. Libraries inside and outside academia have had to cut back subscriptions because of gouges by information companies. Creative Commons could provide a good, competitive alternative to reduce abuses by middlemen here.
By the way, I hope that Creative Commons will offer not only a decent legal enviroment for sharing of intellectual property but also the right publication tools, either itself or through alliances with private companies. Attention, Blogger and the like. Why not develop Blogger-style templates for professional journals, not just sources of format but also with software to help structure and speed up the vetting and editorial processes? Here’s a great opportunity, too, for freeware developers. The very tools that the journals used could illustrate the usefulness of the Creative Commons and freeware concepts.
If nothing else, Creative Commons should have provisions for bloggers (small b in this case) to participate.
For more details, see The Bounty of the Commons and Can We Design Fair Use into Content?–both from San Jose Mercury columnist Dan Gillmor’s eJournal. You can also find information from Doc Searls.
Meanwhile let me spell out my own terms of use of those wishing to reproduce TeleBlog items in full. If it’s for noncommercial purposes–for, say, a library or a school or a personal Web site–just do it. I of course wouldn’t mind knowing how the material is used. If you’re commercial or if the writing is from other TeleBlog contributors? Check with me or the other authors. Promise: no cumbersome permissions, no onerous fees.
Time Machine Department: Yes, Blogger is up to its sly tricks again. Today is Friday, not Thursday. But the item below is genuinely from Thursday, promise.
