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How can we make the world a better place?

About CC
three-tenets-ryan Photo by Sebastiaan Ter Burg, CC BY

What are the values that resonate the most for you in the Commons? Transparency? Innovation? Sharing? Gratitude? In today’s polarized political environment, how can we come together to champion values that we share, and make the world a better place? I’ve repeated three truths to guide CC’s message, and I’d like to share them with…

U.S. Pushes Closer To Making Government Data Open By Default

Open Data
United States Capitol Building United States Capitol Building

The Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (OPEN Government Data Act) has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill’s text was included as Title II in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (H.R. 4174). If ultimately enacted, the bill would require all government data to be made open by default: machine-readable and…

Trade negotiators: follow these rules to protect creativity, access to knowledge, users’ rights

Copyright

Today over 70 international copyright experts released the Washington Principles on Copyright Balance in Trade Agreements. The document, endorsed by Creative Commons, urges trade negotiators “to support policies like fair use, safe harbor provisions, and other exceptions and limitations that permit and encourage access to knowledge, flourishing creativity, and innovation.” The principles were collaboratively drafted…

Create Refresh Campaign: Stop the EU Copyright Censorship Machine

Copyright

The Create Refresh campaign is a new project to highlight the concerns of creators regarding the EU’s proposed changes to copyright law. Supporting organisations include Creative Commons, Kennisland, La Quadrature du Net, and others. Create Refresh is “calling on creators to be part of a movement to defend their right to create. [The] ultimate aim…

TPP continues without the worst copyright provisions

Copyright

Civil society organisations including Creative Commons helped deliver a win against the restrictive IP terms of the TPP, which were developed secret and would have locked down content and restricted user rights. For the last five years the Creative Commons community has been organising against the restrictive copyright provisions put forth in the Trans-Pacific Partnership…