Category: Open Heritage

Getty Museum releases 88K+ images of artworks with CC0

by Brigitte Vézina Open Heritage
Close up of vivid orange flowers and blue irises growing above red-ochre soil. “Irises, 1889” by Vincent van Gogh, The J. Paul Getty Museum is dedicated to the public domain by CC0.

The J. Paul Getty Museum just released more than 88 thousand works under Creative Commons Zero (CCØ), putting the digital images of items from its impressive collection squarely and unequivocally into the public domain. This is in line with our advocacy efforts at Creative Commons (CC): digital reproductions of public domain material must remain in the public domain. In other words, no new copyright should arise over the creation of a digitized “twin.”

CC’s Key Insights from WIPO’s Meeting on Copyright

by Brigitte Vézina, Catherine Stihler Copyright, Open Heritage
A screenshot of the SCCR webcasting with Brigitte Vézina delivering a statement on behalf of Creative Commons. “WIPO SSCR Screenshot” by Creative Commons is licensed via CC BY 4.0.

From 6 to 8 November 2023, Creative Commons participated remotely in the 44th session of the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. In this blog post, we look back on the session’s highlights on broadcasting, exceptions and limitations, and generative AI, from CC’s perspective.

CC Celebrates 20 Years of the UNESCO Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Heritage

by Brigitte Vézina, Jocelyn Miyara Open Heritage
A colorful shyrdak, a type of rug, with geometric square and diamond patterns filled with spiraling and curvy abstract shapes in bright pink, red, navy, yellow, teal and light and dark blues. A shyrdaq on the floor of a Kyrgyz home in Kyzyl-Jar, Aqsy, Jalalabat”, Kyrgyzstan by Firespeaker, here cropped, is licensed via CC BY-SA 3.0.

CC celebrates the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. CC’s community initiative “Towards a Recommendation on Open Culture” (TAROC) is designed to support the international community in developing a positive, affirmative, and influential recommendation enshrining the values, objectives, and mechanisms for open culture to flourish and, in particular, for open culture to serve as a means to safeguard intangible cultural heritage.

Francisco “Tito” Rivas to Keynote CC Global Summit 2023

by Creative Commons Events, Open Creativity, Open Heritage
A headshot of Francisco J. Rivas Mesa, smiling in front of an artwork on a wall and wearing eyeglasses and a gray top, to the right of a colorful illustration of a wall of windows, each revealing a different human or animal doing some activity, on a building decorated with a light blue CC Global Summit banner hanging from a slender blue line, surrounded by yellow butterflies and birds and green vines and plants. A headshot of Francisco J. Rivas Mesa used by permission from the Ministry of Culture of Mexico, here cropped, next to Somos El Bien Común" by Eréndira Derbez for Creative Commons, here cropped, licensed via CC BY 4.0.

We are deeply honored to announce that the 2023 Summit’s opening keynote will be from Mexican sound artist, musician, researcher, and cultural leader Francisco J. Rivas Mesa, also known by his stage name Tito Rivas.

Francisco “Tito” Rivas Será un Orador Principal en la Cumbre Mundial CC 2023

by Creative Commons Events, Open Creativity, Open Heritage
A headshot of Francisco J. Rivas Mesa, smiling in front of an artwork on a wall and wearing eyeglasses and a gray top, to the right of a colorful illustration of a wall of windows, each revealing a different human or animal doing some activity, on a building decorated with a light blue CC Global Summit banner hanging from a slender blue line, surrounded by yellow butterflies and birds and green vines and plants. A headshot of Francisco J. Rivas Mesa used by permission from the Ministry of Culture of Mexico, here cropped, next to Somos El Bien Común" by Eréndira Derbez for Creative Commons, here cropped, licensed via CC BY 4.0.

Nos sentimos profundamente honrados de anunciar que el discurso de apertura de la Cumbre CC 2023 estará a cargo del artista sonoro, músico, investigador, y gestor cultural mexicano Francisco J. Rivas Mesa, también conocido por su nombre artístico Tito Rivas.

Generative AI and Creativity: New Considerations Emerge at CC Convenings

by Brigitte Vézina, Catherine Stihler Better Internet, Events, Open Creativity, Open Heritage, Technology
People seated at tables in a conference room watching a panel of four speak on stage below a slide with an image of a robot painting at an empty easel, saying: Creative Commons, Engleberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy, this event sponsored by Akin, gratitude for additional support to Morrison Foerster. “Generative AI & the Creative Cycle Panel” by Jennryn Wetzler for CC BY 4.0.

This week, Creative Commons (CC) convened 100+ participants during two events in New York City to discuss the important issues surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI), copyright, and creativity. For many years, we at CC have been examining the interplay between copyright and generative AI, exploring ways in which this technology can foster creativity and better…

CC Supports the Case for Controlled Digital Lending

by Catherine Stihler Better Internet, Open Access, Open Heritage
Headshot of Catherine Stihler, wearing a blue shawl standing in front of a body of water with buildings and clouds in the distance. "Catherine Stihler" by Martin Shields is licensed under CC BY 4.0

My name is Catherine Stihler, and I’m the CEO of Creative Commons. As a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge, we strongly support the Internet Archive in its defense of Controlled Digital Lending. Free, equitable, and open access to all knowledge stimulates creativity, is essential for research and learning,…