Bodies packed Bar 56 in Ottawa’s Byward Market last week for the launch of the first Canadian version of a Creative Commons license. Hosted by the University of Ottawa’s Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) and the Law & Technology Program, the event unfurled the CC banner to a jubilant crowd eager to support the cause.

Canadians let you know that they’re having a really good time at their parties. Greetings ranged from the hearty violence of a lumberjack’s bear hug to the sophisticated cheek-pecking of a Quebecoise. Unlike the hip reserve of the Wired concert event, or the casual certainty of CC San Francisco events, this crowd showed the honest pride of hardy mountaineers who have finally reached the crest. Perhaps this is because Ottawans are still close enough to the frontier to reflect the pioneer spirit. Satisfaction was rampant and celebration well-deserved.

Michael Geist and Pippa Lawson deserve credit for supporting the CC effort in Canada. CA project lead Marcus Bornfreund and his team of researchers are doing more than merely crafting a CC license that is truly Canadian. The next goal is to develop a license template that is less US-centric using terms that are more common internationally. I’m looking forward to hearing more from this energetic group of outstanding scholars.