Search
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images + Data into the Public Domain Using CC0
by Cable Green, Victoria Heath Open Culture post![Smithsonian Open Access (Social Graphic)](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Social-graphic-for-Open-Access-horizontal-scaled-1-1024x576.jpg)
The Smithsonian—the world’s largest museum and research institution—announced yesterday Smithsonian Open Access, an initiative that removes copyright restrictions from 2.8 million digital collection 2D and 3D images and nearly two centuries of data. This major initiative uses CC0—Creative Commons’ public domain dedication tool—to make millions of images and data freely available to the public. “Our…
The Public Domain is Alive and Well (for Now)
by Victoria Heath Open Culture post![Public Domain Day Celebration Cover Art](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Public-Domain-Day-Celebration-Cover-Art-1024x536.jpg)
Public domain advocates celebrated on January 1 because, for the second year in a row, published works newly entered the public domain in the United States due to copyright expiration. To mark the occasion, Creative Commons (CC) collaborated with the Internet Archive, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, Creative Commons USA, the Institute…
CC Launches the Global Search for Its Next Chief Executive Officer
by Molly Van Houweling About CC post![CC Tiles](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/CC_Tiles-1024x577.jpg)
I’m delighted to announce, on behalf of the Creative Commons (CC) Board of Directors, the formal launch of the global search for the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CC. The timing could not be more exciting for CC. We will welcome our next CEO as we prepare to enter our third decade as the…
Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Updated Creative Commons License Chooser
Licenses & Tools post![](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CC-Chooser-3-1024x833.png)
This is part of a series of posts introducing the projects built by open source contributors mentored by Creative Commons during Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2019. Ari Madian was one of those contributors and we are grateful for his work on this project. The Creative Commons (CC) License Chooser was made nearly 15 years ago and…
Introducing the Linked Commons
Open Data, Technology post![Linked Commons](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Linked-Commons-1-1024x524.png)
This is part of a series of posts introducing the projects built by open source contributors mentored by Creative Commons during Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2019. Maria Belen Guaranda was one of those contributors and we are grateful for her work on this project. “By visualizing information, we turn it into a landscape that you can explore…
CC Global Summit: Call for Proposals and Scholarship Applications
by Alison Pearce About CC, Events post![Global Summit 2020](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GlobalSummit2020_SocialFeature-1-1024x536.png)
We’re excited to announce that the Call for Proposals and Scholarship Applications for the 2020 CC Global Summit is now open! The 2020 CC Global Summit, held May 14-16 in Lisbon, Portugal, gathers those in the open community under the umbrella of learning, sharing, and creating; united by a passion for growing a vibrant, usable commons…
Join Us in Washington D.C. to Celebrate Culture and Heritage on Public Domain Day
by Victoria Heath About CC post![Public-Domain-Day-2020-v2](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Public-Domain-Day-2020-v2-1024x536.jpg)
Creative Commons is pleased to be a part of the second annual Public Domain Day celebration held in Washington D.C. on January 30, 2020! In collaboration with the Internet Archive, the Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, and SPARC, this event will “bring together a diverse group…
Thoughts on “Non-Amicable” Enforcement of CC Licenses
by Diane Peters Licenses & Tools post![](https://creativecommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/5156128782_258f027185_b.jpg)
Broken Hill Wall Mural-07= by Sheba_Also 43,000 photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 This post was co-authored by Diane Peters (CC’s General Counsel) and Alexis Muscat (CC’s 2019 legal intern) For the past year or so, CC has been tracking and thinking about strict, less than-amicable enforcement activities involving CC licenses. These activities present…
Legal code issues & errata
pageDespite our best efforts, occasionally there are issues and/or errors in the published legal code for CC legal tools. CC is committed to maintaining static, canonical versions of its legal tools, so we do not make changes to the legal code after it is published. Therefore, when issues or errors are identified, they are documented…
Legal Code Defined
pageEvery Creative Commons license has three layers: the lawyer-readable legal code, the human-readable deed, and the machine-readable code. As the only legally-operative layer, the legal code is the primary layer of the CC licenses. It consists of the text of the licenses, as well as any meaningful formatting and other inseparable elements listed below. The…