Creative Commons gets letters and phone calls and emails from all around the world. People write to share their work, call to get advice on how to use the licenses, and email to complain and to say thank you. Recently, we got a series of hand-written letters from a number of students in a US-based 5th-grade class, including this one:

We get letters. "I want to congratulate you on the drastic changes you've made to The People's Republic of Copyright. As a 5th grader, what can I do to help?"

Clearly we have to make People's Republic of Copyright t-shirts. pic.twitter.com/njwOz7UX7k

— Ryan Merkley 🍁 (@ryanmerkley) June 10, 2019

“I want to congratulate you on the drastic changes you’ve made to The People’s Republic of Copyright. As a 5th grader, what can I do to help?”

The Wikipedia article on “Republic” says, “A republic (Latin: res publica, meaning “public affair”) is a form of government in which the country is considered a “public matter”, not the private concern or property of the rulers.”

The commons is definitely a “public matter,” and we thought the idea deserved a little creative expression. As some of you may know, today is my last day as CEO at CC, and as a bit of a parting gift, CC’s Creative Director Eric Steuer and I collaborated with Toronto designer Cat Wood to turn the letter into a t-shirt. Available in grey, blue, and red.

In Solidarity,
Ryan Merkley
Former CEO, Creative Commons
Citizen, The People’s Republic of Copyright