More from Lawrence Lessig on Creative Commons. Despite the mention of fund-raising in this letter, which may not be appropriate here, it's usually worth reading anything Lessig has to say, and the update on Creative Commons is definitely timely.
Amalyah Keshet Chair, MCN IP SIG >Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:19:25 -0700 >From: Lawrence Lessig <lessig at pobox.com> >Subject: [cc-lessigletter] A Report on the Commons > >So, with this email, Creative Commons launches its second (now >officially) annual fundraising campaign. Last year, through the >course of that first campaign, I wrote a series of letters explaining >a bit about where Creative Commons came from, and where it was going. >Those letters (creatively labeled "Lessig Letters") are still >available here. [ http://creativecommons.org/support/letters ]. This >year, I'm going to talk a bit less, and in my place, we're going to >tell the stories of some of the extraordinary Creative Commons >projects that have been flourishing around the world. > >But first, a bit of recap: Creative Commons is a nonprofit >corporation, dedicated to making it simpler for people to share and >build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of >copyright. We provide free licenses that mark creative work with the >freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share the work, >or remix the work, or both share and remix the work, as the author >chooses. > >We were motivated to begin this project about four years ago because >we realized a point that's obvious once you see it: that however >important the "all rights reserved" model of copyright is to some >creators, it is not the model that works for many, maybe most. >Scholars, scientists and educators, for example, are also creators, >but they don't depend upon the perfect control of their work - >deciding who can access it, or who can copy it, or who can build upon >it - for them to have the incentive to create great works. Perhaps >even more importantly, for the many who create for what our board >member, Joi Ito, calls the "sharing economy," "all rights reserved" >makes little sense. The millions of photos on Flickr [ http:// >flickr.com/creativecommons ], for example, licensed under Creative >Commons licenses are made available by people who want to make their >creativity available to others without demanding payment upfront, or >control over how their work gets used. These people are creators - >some professional, but many amateur, where amateur doesn't mean >"amateurish," but rather people who do what they do for the love of >their work, and not for the money. Creative Commons provides free >tools to help these creators create in the way that they think best. > >Creative Commons launched the licensing project in December 2002. >Within a year, there were more than 1,000,000 link-backs to our >licenses (meaning at least a million places on the web where people >were linking to our licenses, and presumptively licensing content >under those licenses). Within two years, that number was 12,000,000. >At the end of our last fundraising campaign, it had grown to about >45,000,000 link-backs to our licenses. That was December, 2005. In >the first six months of 2006, that number grew by almost 100,000,000 >licenses. In June, we reported about 140,000,000 link-backs to our >licenses. We have hit a stride, and more and more of the net marks >itself with the freedoms that Creative Commons helps secure. > >This success has been primarily built by thousands of volunteers >across the world who have worked to launch Creative Commons projects >locally, and worked to spread our movement to artists and educators >internationally. But it is supported by the contributions of many >more. Each year we ask more to join this movement in both ways. These >letters are invitations to join in the support for Creative Commons. > >The plea for support in these letters will be subtle. (We've >perfected subliminal email.) >But if you'd like to opt out of these letters, just click here >http://creativecommons.org/about/newsletter#unsubscribe >Alternatively, if you know others who might enjoy this weekly >missive, click here >http://creativecommons.org/about/newsletter >and we'll invite them to join as well. >And if you'd like to just get it over, and donate, click here. >http://creativecommons.org/support/donate > >Next week, I'll talk a bit more about the values behind our movement. >And the week following that, the first story from the front lines of CC. > >---------------------------------- > >To link to or comment on this message, go to: >http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/6106 > >Archive of Lessig Letters >http://creativecommons.org/support/letters > >Support the Commons >http://creativecommons.org/support > >Learn More >http://creativecommons.org/learnmore > >For comics and movies: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/how1, >http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/ > > >_______________________________________________ >cc-lessigletter mailing list > >To unsubscribe visit >http://creativecommons.org/about/lessigletter#unsubscribe > >Or send email with "unsubscribe" as subject to >cc-lessigletter-request at lists.ibiblio.org > >Creative Commons newsletters are also posted to the CC Weblog. For back >issues please visit http://creativecommons.org/weblog/
