Help us protect the commons. Make a tax deductible gift to fund our work in 2025. Donate today!

Category: Licenses & Tools

CC Learning and Training: 2024 Year in Review

by Jennryn Wetzler, Shanna Hollich CC Certificate, Licenses & Tools

People Walking on Brown Concrete Floor by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz . Public Domain.

People Walking on Brown Concrete Floor by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz . Public Domain. Creative Commons training efforts strengthen our mission to “empower individuals and communities around the world through technical, legal, and policy solutions that enable the sharing of education, culture, and science in the public interest.” In 2024, our Learning & Training team focused…

Meet the Recipients of the Fall 2024 CC Certificate Scholarship

by Shanna Hollich CC Certificate, Licenses & Tools
School by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

School by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. The Creative Commons (CC) Certificate courses are widely considered an essential resource for open access education and for increasing capacity for individuals and institutions using the CC licenses to increase open access.   The CC Certificate program offers in-depth courses about CC licenses, open practices, and…

CC Legal Tools Recognized as Digital Public Goods

by Cable Green, Creative Commons About CC, Licenses & Tools, Sustaining the Commons
“Power Grid” by Ram Joshi is licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“Power Grid” by Ram Joshi is licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. We’re proud to announce Creative Commons’ Legal Tools have been reviewed and accepted into the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) DPG Registry. The DPGA is a multi-stakeholder initiative, endorsed by the United Nations Secretary-General, that is working to accelerate the attainment of the UN…

Six Insights on Preference Signals for AI Training

by Rebecca Ross Events, Licenses & Tools, Policy, Technology
“Eagle Traffic Signals - 1970s” by RS 1990 is licensed via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0..

“Eagle Traffic Signals – 1970s” by RS 1990 is licensed via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.. At the intersection of rapid advancements in generative AI and our ongoing strategy refresh, we’ve been deeply engaged in researching, analyzing, and fostering conversations about AI and value alignment. Our goal is to ensure that our legal and technical infrastructure remains…

Questions for Consideration on AI & the Commons

by Anna Tumadóttir About CC, Licenses & Tools, Policy
“Eight eyes. Engraving after C. Le Brun” by Charles Le Brun is licensed via CC0.

“Eight eyes. Engraving after C. Le Brun” by Charles Le Brun is licensed via CC0. The intersection of AI, copyright, creativity, and the commons has been a focal point of conversations within our community for the past couple of years. We’ve hosted intimate roundtables, organized workshops at conferences, and run public events, digging into the…

An Invitation for Creators, Activists, and Stewards of the Open Movement

by Shannon Hong, Creative Commons Licenses & Tools, Policy
“AI Alignment Assembly” by Jakub Koźniewski for the Open Future Foundation is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Dear Open Movement Creators, Activists, and Stewards,  A key question facing Creative Commons as an organization, and the open movement in general, is how we will respond to the challenge of shaping artificial intelligence (AI) towards the public interest, growing and sustaining a thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture. So much of generative AI…

CC Responds to the United States Copyright Office Notice of Inquiry on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

by Creative Commons Better Internet, Copyright, Licenses & Tools, Technology
Generated by AI: A white robot with a look of concentration on their face, wearing a red cap and robe, painting an empty gold picture frame with a brush that has an abstract flower growing up from its handle. Detail from “AI Outputs” by CC0.

In August, the United States Copyright Office issued a Notice of Inquiry seeking public responses to 34 questions (and several sub-questions) about the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence. The comment period closed on 30 October with over 10,000 individuals and organizations responding, representing a broad spectrum of interests on how copyright should apply in relation to generative AI. CC joined in the conversation to provide our own thoughts on copyright and AI to the copyright office.

Announcing CC’s Open Infrastructure Circle

by Creative Commons Licenses & Tools, Sustaining the Commons, Technology
A black and white Creative Commons icon and logo above

CC Licenses make it possible to share content legally and openly. Over the past 20 years, they have unlocked approximately 3 billion articles, books, research, artwork, and music. CC’s Legal Tools are a free and reliable public good. Yet most people are unaware that their infrastructure and stewardship takes a lot of money and work to maintain. That’s why we’re launching the Open Infrastructure Circle (OIC) — an initiative to obtain annual or multi-year support from foundations, corporations, and individuals for Creative Commons’ core operations and license infrastructure.

CC and Communia Statement on Transparency in the EU AI Act

by Creative Commons Better Internet, Licenses & Tools, Open Culture, Open Knowledge, Technology
An abstract European Union flag of diffused gold stars linked by golden neural pathways on a deep blue mottled background. "EU Flag Neural Network" by Creative Commons was cropped from an image generated by the DALL-E 2 AI platform with the text prompt "European Union flag neural network." CC dedicates any rights it holds to the image to the public domain via CC0.

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act will be discussed at a key trilogue meeting on 24 October 2023. CC collaborated with Communia to summarize our views emphasizing the importance of a balanced and tailored approach to regulating foundation models and of transparency in general.