CC evangelist Cory Doctorow has a new column up on Locus Online discussing “the fundamentals of using CC licenses for people who are interested in the idea but haven’t tried it yet”. The article outlines the different conditions available in any given CC-license, how the licenses are read (machine/human/lawyer), and takes note of the harmony between CC and Fair Use.

As an added bonus, Cory also gives a quick overview of copyright law, how we got to where we are today in terms of content control, and where CC-licenses fit into the debate. As always, his writing is clear as it is illuminating – for those of you sitting on the CC-sidelines not knowing how to jump in, behold the primer to end all primers.