Participants in the Young Women Leadership Program explain software to each other

Open Access in Practice: A Conversation with President Larry Kramer of The Hewlett Foundation

Since the founding of Creative Commons (CC) in 2001, we’ve been supported by like-minded organizations and individuals who value open access, the open community, and the global commons as much as we do. As we near our 20th anniversary, we are reflecting on the past and planning for the future. What better way to do … Read More “Open Access in Practice: A Conversation with President Larry Kramer of The Hewlett Foundation”

Open-Source Medical Hardware: What You Should Know and What You Can Do

You’ve heard the stories: engineers 3D printing face shields in their basements; do-it-yourself hobbyists sewing face masks; and fashion designers crafting personal protection gowns.  Globally, people are trying to help fill the medical supply gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through open-source medical hardware. It’s a heartwarming display of global ingenuity, innovation, and collaboration. In this … Read More “Open-Source Medical Hardware: What You Should Know and What You Can Do”

Bassel Khartabil Fellowship Awarded to Tarek Loubani—Using Open Access to Combat COVID-19

We are thrilled to announce today that Dr. Tarek Loubani has been awarded the 2020 Bassel Khartabil Fellowship. Loubani is the medical director of Glia, a project focused on using Open Access manufacturing and distribution in order to provide lower costs and vastly increase the accessibility of urgently needed medical supplies and gear. The Fellowship … Read More “Bassel Khartabil Fellowship Awarded to Tarek Loubani—Using Open Access to Combat COVID-19”

Dr. Lucie Guibault on What Scientists Should Know About Open Access

In response to the global health emergency caused by COVID-19, we’ve seen an array of organizations, publications, and governments make COVID-19 related research open access. For example, the U.S. National Library of Medicine recently released the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19)—a machine-readable coronavirus literature collection with over 29,000 articles available for text and data mining … Read More “Dr. Lucie Guibault on What Scientists Should Know About Open Access”

Save the Date: Public Domain Day 2020 Is Happening in January in Washington, D.C.

Creative Commons is thrilled to announce that the second Public Domain Day celebration is happening on January 30, 2020 in Washington, D.C. We’re working with our friends at the Internet Archive, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University Washington College of Law, Creative Commons USA, the Institute for Intellectual Property & … Read More “Save the Date: Public Domain Day 2020 Is Happening in January in Washington, D.C.”

The New UNESCO House in Paris

NGO Network to Support Implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation

The UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Recommendation was unanimously adopted on November 25 by 193 UNESCO member states at the 40th UNESCO General Conference. This milestone offers a unique opportunity to advance open education around the world. Why does it matter? This Recommendation is an official UNESCO instrument that gives national governments a specific list … Read More “NGO Network to Support Implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation”

CC Certificate logo: A series of growing colored dots rising over a CC icon and the word "Certificates", both in black.

Millions Now Have Access to the CC Certificate in Italian and Arabic!

To date, the CC Certificate has only been available in English. However, thanks to the incredible efforts of CC Global Network members, the CC Certificate course content (e.g., readings, articles, etc.) is being translated into multiple languages. In particular, we are proud to highlight the work of CC Network members in Italy and Saudi Arabia. … Read More “Millions Now Have Access to the CC Certificate in Italian and Arabic!”

Bust of Nefertiti

Reproductions of Public Domain Works Should Remain in the Public Domain

It has come to the attention of Creative Commons that there is an increased use of CC licenses by cultural heritage institutions on photographic reproductions and 3D scans of objects such as sculptures, busts, engravings, and inscriptions, among others, that are indisputably in the public domain worldwide. A recent example is the 3000-year-old Nefertiti bust … Read More “Reproductions of Public Domain Works Should Remain in the Public Domain”

Access to Information Is Not Universal: Here’s Why That Matters

Today is the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). You may be wondering why this day is necessary—particularly in 2019, when the average person is inundated with an estimated 34 gigabytes of information every day, from emails and text messages to Youtube videos and news programs. In fact, it’s easy to take information … Read More “Access to Information Is Not Universal: Here’s Why That Matters”

Announcing an Open Call for Proposals: The Bassel Khartabil Fellowship

Today the Fabricatorz Foundation announced an open call for applicants for the Bassel Khartabil Fellowship.  The Fellowship supports outstanding individuals developing free culture projects in their communities under adverse circumstances, honoring the legacy of beloved artist, open source technology innovator, free culture advocate Bassel Khartabil. Bassel was Creative Commons’ Syrian project lead, the cofounder of … Read More “Announcing an Open Call for Proposals: The Bassel Khartabil Fellowship”