State of the Commons 2022
About CC
“CC State of the Commons 2022 Cover Detail” © 2023 by Creative Commons is licensed via CC BY 4.0.
We are pleased to present the 2022 Creative Commons State of the Commons annual report. This report highlights key innovations, achievements, collaborations, conversations, and partnerships from CC and our global community over the past year.
In 2022 we were incredibly proud to mark twenty years of CC licensing and all the groundbreaking collaboration it has enabled as we closed our successful 20th anniversary campaign, which raised over $16 million dollars to support CC programs and our ongoing sustainability. As we look back on this remarkable journey, time seems to pass more quickly than ever — yet our gratitude for each milestone remains unwavering, as do words of thanks towards everyone who helped make it possible. I invite you to revisit important moments in CC’s history in our interactive timeline. If something is missing, you’ll see a way to suggest other events to include in the history.
In 2022, we met our 20th Anniversary fundraising goal, we launched two new programs — the Open Climate Campaign and the Movement for a Better Internet — and were involved in policy deliberations in ways we have never been before. Our signature Open Culture program continued to make great strides in the global cultural heritage space. In 2023, we want to build on this success with our first in-person CC Global Summit in four years, which will be held in Mexico City the first week of October. This landmark event will explore emerging technologies and CC’s role in creating a more open world where everyone can thrive — the call for proposals and registration will open soon.
“#BetterSharing Illustrations” assembled by Creative Commons from the works of 12 illustrators is licensed via CC BY-NC 4.0.
The front and back covers of this year’s report showcase some very special artworks. In 2022 we collaborated with Fine Acts to commission the #BetterSharing collection of illustrations, inspired by quotes about our strategic theme of better sharing from 12 prominent global open advocates. These CC-licensed visual pieces were created by 12 internationally renowned artists and shared on TheGreats.co, an open repository of free illustrations focused on social justice issues.
As we step into the future, we are grateful for your continued commitment and support of CC. Our work would not be possible without YOU in our community. I hope you’ll read our full report to learn more about key accomplishments across the CC community in 2022. We look forward to engaging with you more in 2023!
You can view the full report here below (click at the bottom to navigate through pages), or also in accessible web format, or download it in a PDF optimized for sharing online (1.5MB) or for printing (35.9MB).