CC Founders Fireside Chat

"Fireplace" by Florian Winter is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Event Details

Join us for a rare and intimate conversation with some of the voices who helped build the commons.

To mark 25 years of Creative Commons, this special founders fireside chat brings together Lawrence Lessig, Hal Abelson, and Molly Van Houweling, in conversation with moderator Glenn O. Brown

Together, they’ll go beyond the official history to share what it actually felt like to build Creative Commons in its earliest days. Hear about the uncertainty, the debates, and the moments that made them believe this idea could reshape how the world shares knowledge and creativity.

Over 90 minutes, this conversation will trace the arc of the commons: from its origins as a bold experiment in open licensing to its role today as essential infrastructure for culture, education, science, and the global exchange of ideas. Along the way, panelists will reflect on pivotal turning points, unexpected successes, and the tensions that have shaped the movement.

Whether you’ve been part of the Creative Commons community from the beginning or are just discovering its impact, this is a unique opportunity to hear directly from the people who helped make it possible and to consider your role in what comes next.

This special event is also a benefit fundraiser in celebration of Creative Commons’ 25th anniversary. Suggested donation levels will be available for those who are able but all are welcome. 

We are grateful to our Champion sponsor, Paul Weiss, for their generous contribution to this event.

Meet the speakers

  • Hal Abelson

    Hal Abelson is Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and a fellow of IEEE. He is winner of several major teaching awards at MIT, as well as the IEEE’s Booth Education Award, cited for his contributions to the teaching of undergraduate computer science.Abelson has a longstanding interest in using computation…

    A picture of a fireplace with the words

  • Lawrence Lessig

    Founder / Board Member Emeritus

    Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to returning to Harvard, he taught at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago. He clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the…

    A picture of a fireplace with the words

  • Molly Van Houweling

    Molly Shaffer Van Houweling is the Harold C. Hohbach Distinguished Professor of Patent Law and Intellectual Property at the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarship focuses on copyright law, including how it shapes and is shaped by developments in information technology. Professor Van Houweling is an Associate Reporter on the…

    A picture of a fireplace with the words

  • Glenn O Brown

    Vice Chair

    Glenn O. Brown works with a range of organizations on brand and identity, audience development, teambuilding, and fundraising. In addition to advising start-ups and corporations, Glenn is on the board of directors of nonprofits The Texas Tribune and Words Without Borders and is a senior advisor at MIT’s Center for…

    A picture of a fireplace with the words

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