creative commons
attribution, copyright, creative commons, derivative, usage rights
As I move into the online world as someone who publishes creative works, I want to ensure that I protect the work of others as well as ensure my own works are respected. A video clip on the YouTube help center on copyrights referred me to a couple of sites where I could get license free source audio.
It also introduced me to the creative commons website. This non-profit organization is all about allowing people to share their creativity yet still have some control over how their creations are used.
This website also reconfirmed usage rights that I have on my main web site. In essence, if you publish a work and say it is copyrighted and that all rights are reserved, it is protected … period! A creative commons license allows me to specify if and how my works may be used by others.
For example, I can require attribution which will let others copy, distribute, display, and perform my copyrighted work — and derivative works based upon it — but only if they give credit the way I request. Or I can let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of my work, but not create derivative works. I can also specify noncommercial use which means no one else can make money from my work.
Or at least that is the idea. The reality is that if someone does use your work, how much trouble are you willing to go to to protect it? How much money and or time are you willing to invest. The creative commons license works only as long as it is honoured.
;-j


[...] is any drawing or marking in a public place, often unauthorized. The Creative Commons is a way to license creative works so they can be used for free. Both fly in the face of what is [...]
[...] ensure the images IPTC meta-data for copyright and rights usage terms are set. Both Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom allow you set IPTC meta-data. I strongly recommend you look into this as it the first step in ensuring your images are protected. In Photoshop, open an image (usually a JPEG) then first click on File then on File Info…; from there click on the IPTC fields in the left panel. In the Lightroom’s Library module, click on the IPTC Meta-data panel and scroll down to the Contact and Copyright segments. When you Export from Lightroom, make sure the Minimize Embedded Metadata is not checked. I’ll be posting more information about this as well as copyrights and licensing soon, but you can also have a look at my discussion of the creative commons. [...]