October 1, 2007 — San Francisco, CA, USA

Virginia Rutledge has been named Vice President and General Counsel of Creative Commons, the organization announced today. In this position, Rutledge will oversee Creative Commons’s legal affairs, lead initiatives focused on the arts, and create partnerships with arts and cultural institutions both in the U.S. and internationally.

“Creative Commons has been very lucky to have had fantastic general counsels,” said Lawrence Lessig, CEO of Creative Commons. “But Virginia brings a breadth of experience and skills that is unmatched. I could not be happier that she has chosen CC as the next stage in her extraordinary career.”

Rutledge comes to Creative Commons from the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she was a litigation associate. At Cravath, Rutledge’s areas of practice included intellectual property, art, entertainment, antitrust, securities, and general commercial law. She has represented clients in the media and music industries, including Time Warner Inc., Warner Music Group, Warner Bros., and New Line Cinema, as well as the arts nonprofit organization the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.

Rutledge has extensive experience in the art world, having worked as an exhibition associate for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and served as a contributing editor for Art Papers magazine. She has presented on art, digital media, and intellectual property law at conferences around the world. Additionally, her writing on art has been published in Art in America and Bookforum.

Rutledge is a member of the New York State Bar, and is the current chair of the Art Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association and a member of the Committee on Intellectual Property of the College Art Association. She holds several academic degrees, including a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), and an M. Phil. in Art History from the City University of New York’s Graduate School and University Center.

News of Rutledge’s appointment has been well received within the legal and arts communities. “I applaud Creative Commons for its inspired choice of Virginia Rutledge as Vice President and General Counsel,” said copyright expert William Patry, Senior Copyright Counsel, Google Inc. “Virginia’s background in academia, the art world, and the white-shoe corporate law firm environment is unique. Her ability to forge consensus, her love of learning and commitment to the public interest will serve Creative Commons and the rest of us exceedingly well.”

“I commend Creative Commons for this excellent choice to help further the worthy purposes of the organization,” said patron of the arts Martin E. Segal. “Virginia’s commitment to the arts and her scholarly and practical background make her a wonderful addition.”

“Creative Commons couldn’t have made a better choice,” said Joel Wachs, President of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. “Virginia has deep knowledge of contemporary art practices and institutions, and the practical experience of working within a highly competitive corporate culture. She will do an excellent job of helping to build relationships between communities that have a common interest in promoting vibrant cultural production and exchange.”

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to enable a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach.

Creative Commons is sustained by the generous support of organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as members of the public. For more information about Creative Commons, visit https://creativecommons.org.

Contact
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
eric@creativecommons.org

Press Kit
https://creativecommons.org/presskit