Calling All Copyright Advocates: CC Copyright Platform Now Accepting Funding Proposals

Brigitte Vézina, the Director of Policy and Open Culture, has facilitated the CC Copyright Platform for the past three years since the Platform’s relaunch in 2020. This year, the CC legal team—Kat Walsh and Yuanxiao Xu—is taking over the facilitator role for the Copyright Platform.  The Creative Commons Copyright Platform is a collaborative space for … Read More “Calling All Copyright Advocates: CC Copyright Platform Now Accepting Funding Proposals”

Our Response To Canada’s Copyright Term Extension Consultation

On 29 January 2020, the Canadian federal government introduced Bill C-4, “An Act to Implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States” (CUSMA).1 The bill includes a proposal to extend copyright’s term of protection2 by 20 years, moving it from “life of the author + 50 years” (the … Read More “Our Response To Canada’s Copyright Term Extension Consultation”

A collage of people with their faces covered

Should CC-Licensed Content be Used to Train AI? It Depends.

Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) raise several questions when it comes to the use of copyright material and Creative Commons-licensed content in particular.1 One of them is whether CC-licensed content (e.g. photographs, artworks, text, music, etc.) should be used as input to train AI. To get a sense of the various views on this question, … Read More “Should CC-Licensed Content be Used to Train AI? It Depends.”

Creative Commons Joins the American University’s Efforts to Promote the International Right to Research

American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) has received a three-year grant of $3.8 million from Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, for its Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP). The project will study changes needed in international copyright policy to ensure equity in the production of and access … Read More “Creative Commons Joins the American University’s Efforts to Promote the International Right to Research”

Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty in Latin America: A Look at the Experiences of Four CC Community Members

Four years ago today, the Marrakesh Treaty entered into force. The Treaty is truly special in the international copyright law universe: it has a clear humanitarian and social development dimension and it’s the first international treaty that focuses on the beneficiaries of limitations and exceptions, rather than on the rights of creators or holders of … Read More “Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty in Latin America: A Look at the Experiences of Four CC Community Members”

WIPO Main Building

Does WIPO’s New Leadership Have the Vision to Shake Up Global Copyright Policy-Making?

New beginnings at WIPO  On March 4, Daren Tang was nominated director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations agency dealing with intellectual property matters. Tang is currently the chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and his six-year term as top WIPO official will start on October … Read More “Does WIPO’s New Leadership Have the Vision to Shake Up Global Copyright Policy-Making?”

It’s now or never: EU copyright must protect access to knowledge and the commons

We’re coming up on a crucial decision on changes to copyright in the European Union that will govern how creativity is accessed and shared for years to come. On 12 September the European Parliament will vote on the draft Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. If you’re in the EU, go to https://saveyourinternet.eu/ … Read More “It’s now or never: EU copyright must protect access to knowledge and the commons”

Should copyright law deny creators the right to share freely? Let the authors choose.

Imposing a mandatory and unwaivable compensation scheme violates the letter and spirit of open licensing. Copyright policymakers in Europe and South America have proposed legislation that would impose an unwaivable right to financial remuneration for authors and performers on copyrighted works. The laws attempt to ensure that creators receive payment for their work, but they … Read More “Should copyright law deny creators the right to share freely? Let the authors choose.”

Communia publishes position papers to untangle lackluster EU copyright proposal

In September 2016 the European Commission released its proposed changes to copyright in the EU. Unfortunately, the proposal fails to deliver on the promise for a modern copyright law in Europe. Creative Commons is a founding member of  the Communia Association, which has been hard at work advocating for positive changes to the Commission’s plan. … Read More “Communia publishes position papers to untangle lackluster EU copyright proposal”