Silicon-Valley-based NGO reinforces its activities around the globe

San Francisco, CA, USA and Berlin, GERMANY — October 1, 2005 — Creative Commons, a nonprofit dedicated to building a body of creative work free to share and build upon, today unveils a localized version of its innovative licensing system in Argentina.

Creative Commons copyright licenses are available free of charge from the group’s website. The licenses allow authors and artists to mark their works as free to copy or transform under certain conditions—to declare “some rights reserved,” in contrast to the traditional “all rights reserved”—thereby enabling others to access a growing pool of raw materials without legal friction.

Staff at Creative Commons’ offices in San Francisco and Berlin worked with Project Leads Professor Ariel Vercelli and Professor Pablo Palazzi to adapt the standardized licenses to Argentinean law. The Creative Commons Argentina project team is supported by the Fundación OSDE, and the nonprofit NGO Bienes Comunes.

Today the Argentinean versions of the Creative Commons licenses will be launched in Buenos Aires, at a ceremony held at the Centro Cultural General San Martín (Sarmiento 1551, Sala D, 12:00 AM). As part of the launch event, Professor Lawrence Lessig (Chairman and CEO of Creative Commons) and Professor Ariel Vercelli, (Chairman of Bienes Comunes and Project Lead of the Creative Commons team in Argentina) will give lectures that will be webcast live.

About Fundación OSDE

Fundación OSDE is a non-profit organization in Argentina, founded in 1991 with the purpose of promoting activities in the fields of culture, education, health, economy, law and policies. Combining freedom and creativity. The mission of Fundación OSDE is based on the belief that there are ethical principles and values such as truth, freedom, integrity, solidarity, transparency, loyalty and excellence that have been and are still present in the Argentinean vision for the future.

For general information, visit the the website of Fundación OSDE.

About Bienes Comunes

Bienes Comunes is a non-profit association founded in 2005 and located in Buenos Aires. Its mission is the study, research, promotion, improvement and protection of the commons. Bienes Comunes intends to work as a hub between diverse networks (private, public and community) interested in the protection and regulation of the cultural, physical, digital and biological commons.

For general information, visit their website.

About Creative Commons

A nonprofit corporation founded in 2001, Creative Commons promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain—by empowering authors and audiences. It is sustained by the generous support of the Center for the Public Domain, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Omidyar Network Fund, and the Hewlett Foundation.

For general information, visit the Creative Commons website.

Contact

Christiane Asschenfeldt
Executive Director iCommons, Creative Commons
Email

Mia Garlick
General Counsel, Creative Commons
Email

Ariel Vercelli (Buenos Aires)
Project Lead, Creative Commons Argentina
President, NGO Bienes Comunes
Email

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