Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing

Creative Commons Licenses

The Creative Commons series of licenses are the product of the Creative Commons Corporation, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2001 and currently based at Stanford University Law School. In December, 2002, inspired by the GPL, the Creative Commons Corporation issued a series of licenses designed to encourage creators of works to make their work available for public use. While not written for use in connection with software, the Creative Commons Licenses provide a solid basis for licensing the "open source" use of other expressions, including texts, music, web sites, and film. One of their licenses is described here to reflect that the ideas behind open source and free software licensing are applicable to more than just software. Additionally, the Creative Commons Licenses are solidly constructed and well-written: as such, they provide a good model for those who are considering drafting their own open source licenses.

In addition to the licenses, the Creative Commons Corporation provides two other services worth noting, at least briefly. First, Creative Commons offers a "Public Domain Dedication," a sort of ultra-permissive license that denotes the creator's surrender of all rights under copyright.^[6] As noted in connection with the Artistic License, the dedication of a work to the public domain is a simple and straightforward way to permit unrestricted use of a work. Second, Creative Commons offers the "Founder's Copyright," a contractual undertaking ...