state of the commons Archives - Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/tag/state-of-the-commons/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:30:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.5 State of the Commons 2022 https://creativecommons.org/2023/04/11/state-of-the-commons-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-of-the-commons-2022 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:55:51 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=66929 We are pleased to present the 2022 Creative Commons State of the Commons annual report. This report highlights key innovations, achievements, collaborations, conversations, and partnerships from CC and our global community over the past year. In 2022 we were incredibly proud to mark twenty years of CC licensing and all the groundbreaking collaboration it has…

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Detail of the cover of the Creative Commons State of the Commons 2022 in black text on a yellow background over details from three illustrations with text: THE MORE WE SHARE, OPEN IS BEAUTIFUL, and OPEN PALMS, NOT CLUTCHING FISTS.

“CC State of the Commons 2022 Cover Detail” © 2023 by Creative Commons is licensed via CC BY 4.0.

We are pleased to present the 2022 Creative Commons State of the Commons annual report. This report highlights key innovations, achievements, collaborations, conversations, and partnerships from CC and our global community over the past year.

In 2022 we were incredibly proud to mark twenty years of CC licensing and all the groundbreaking collaboration it has enabled as we closed our successful 20th anniversary campaign, which raised over $16 million dollars to support CC programs and our ongoing sustainability. As we look back on this remarkable journey, time seems to pass more quickly than ever — yet our gratitude for each milestone remains unwavering, as do words of thanks towards everyone who helped make it possible. I invite you to revisit important moments in CC’s history in our interactive timeline. If something is missing, you’ll see a way to suggest other events to include in the history.

In 2022, we met our 20th Anniversary fundraising goal, we launched two new programs — the Open Climate Campaign and the Movement for a Better Internet — and were involved in policy deliberations in ways we have never been before. Our signature Open Culture program continued to make great strides in the global cultural heritage space. In 2023, we want to build on this success with our first in-person CC Global Summit in four years, which will be held in Mexico City the first week of October. This landmark event will explore emerging technologies and CC’s role in creating a more open world where everyone can thrive — the call for proposals and registration will open soon.

Thumbnails of 12 illustrations inspired by the question: What does better sharing for a brighter future look like to you?

#BetterSharing Illustrations” assembled by Creative Commons from the works of 12 illustrators is licensed via CC BY-NC 4.0.

The front and back covers of this year’s report showcase some very special artworks. In 2022 we collaborated with Fine Acts to commission the #BetterSharing collection of illustrations, inspired by quotes about our strategic theme of better sharing from 12 prominent global open advocates. These CC-licensed visual pieces were created by 12 internationally renowned artists and shared on TheGreats.co, an open repository of free illustrations focused on social justice issues.

As we step into the future, we are grateful for your continued commitment and support of CC. Our work would not be possible without YOU in our community. I hope you’ll read our full report to learn more about key accomplishments across the CC community in 2022. We look forward to engaging with you more in 2023!

You can view the full report here below (click at the bottom to navigate through pages), or also in accessible web format, or download it in a PDF optimized for sharing online (1.5MB) or for printing (35.9MB).


Past Creative Commons Annual Reports

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Creative Commons 2021 State of the Commons Annual Report https://creativecommons.org/2022/04/05/2021-annual-report/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2021-annual-report Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:31:25 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=65021 We are pleased to present the 2021 Creative Commons State of the Commons Annual Report. This report showcases last year’s 20th Anniversary activities and also highlights important innovations, achievements, collaborations, conversations, and partnerships.   Last year, our anniversary was visually branded with a sunflower. This image represented CC’s commitment to BETTER SHARING of knowledge and culture…

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We are pleased to present the 2021 Creative Commons State of the Commons Annual Report. This report showcases last year’s 20th Anniversary activities and also highlights important innovations, achievements, collaborations, conversations, and partnerships.  

Last year, our anniversary was visually branded with a sunflower. This image represented CC’s commitment to BETTER SHARING of knowledge and culture that purposefully serves the public interest. The sunflower symbolized how CC’s has in the past and continues in the future to light up the global commons. You will notice that the sunflower has been reimagined and remixed throughout this report as a visual connection to this 2021 theme.

This report is organized into four major areas of impact: CC Licenses and Legal Tools, Policy and Copyright Reform, Beyond the Licenses and Unlocking Knowledge. Highlights include moving CC Search to Openverse at WordPress, examining policy through four Copyright Platform working groups, our 20th Anniversary activities, new chapters and leadership in our Global Network, the second virtual and very successful CC Global Summit, launching the Open Minds podcast, additional offerings for CC Certificates, launching our Open GLAM/Open Culture program, supporting UNESCO’s work in open education, big engagement and exposure in Open Science, and so much more!  

As we step into the future, we are grateful for your continued commitment and support of CC. Our work would not be possible without YOU and our community.


Past Creative Commons Annual Reports

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Our 2020 State of the Commons Report Is Here! https://creativecommons.org/2021/03/18/our-2020-state-of-the-commons-report-is-here/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-2020-state-of-the-commons-report-is-here Thu, 18 Mar 2021 13:38:15 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=63086 2020 was a year none of us will forget—and while there are many reasons to look back on last year with sadness and anger, we’ve chosen a different path: one of optimism and hope. In our 2020 State of the Commons report, we take you through what we accomplished last year, from effectively unlocking hundreds…

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2020 was a year none of us will forget—and while there are many reasons to look back on last year with sadness and anger, we’ve chosen a different path: one of optimism and hope.

2020 State of the Commons ScreenshotIn our 2020 State of the Commons report, we take you through what we accomplished last year, from effectively unlocking hundreds of thousands of patents to the public through the Open COVID Pledge to hosting over 1300 people in our first virtual CC Global Summit. “Despite the year’s many challenges,” CEO Catherine Stihler writes in her opening message, “CC made great strides in our mission to build and sustain a thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture.” In this report, we also tried something new, featuring posts written by members of the CC Global Network (CCGN) originally published on the CCGN’s Medium publication. From using open-source games to host artistic performances in Indonesia to creating a digital advocacy project that reached over 257,000 people in Nigeria, these individuals’ work and words have both inspired and motivated us to continue onward. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you.

Read the 2020 State of the Commons report!

Finally, we couldn’t do any of this work without the support of individual donors, foundations, and corporations who share our commitment to open knowledge and creativity. We’d like to take this moment to gratefully acknowledge past and present supporters, including:

  • HMK
  • John Lilly and Kathy Howe
  • Paul and Iris Brest
  • Ron Conway
  • Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law
  • Ted Wang

CC Supporters' Logos

Interested in becoming a CC Supporter? Please contact our Director of Development Jami Vass at jami@creativecommons.org, or donate here. Thank you!

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Creative Commons 2019 Annual Report https://creativecommons.org/2020/11/05/creative-commons-2019-annual-report/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=creative-commons-2019-annual-report Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:24:31 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=62419 I am very pleased to share Creative Commons’ 2019 Annual Report. This report offers an overview of the important work CC did last year across the many domains and subject areas we work in. (Look for CC’s 2020 annual report to be released in early 2021, where we will have lots to share about this…

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I am very pleased to share Creative Commons’ 2019 Annual Report.

This report offers an overview of the important work CC did last year across the many domains and subject areas we work in. (Look for CC’s 2020 annual report to be released in early 2021, where we will have lots to share about this year’s accomplishments.)

In 2019, we continued working with major museums to release large collections into the public domain; helped draft the UNESCO OER Recommendation, which facilitates international cooperation around the development and use of freely accessible educational materials; and produced our biggest-ever CC Global Summit community event, which attracted people from all over the world to meet and discuss open access and our digital future. Plus so much more …

Our new and improved report format is designed to better highlight the organization’s accomplishments and impact. We hope you find it enlightening and enjoyable to read.

As the new CEO of Creative Commons, it is very exciting for me to think about all the ways the CC team will build upon this work going forward. This is especially true as we prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Creative Commons in 2021—a monumental anniversary that we are thrilled to have you join us for.

A very sincere thanks to all of Creative Commons’ supporters, community members, friends, and collaborators. We couldn’t do this work without you.

Help us continue to unlock knowledge and creativity for everyone, everywhere—please consider becoming a donor to Creative Commons.

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A Transformative Year: State of the Commons 2017 https://creativecommons.org/2018/05/08/state-of-the-commons-2017/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-of-the-commons-2017 Tue, 08 May 2018 17:22:54 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=54772 At this year’s Global Summit, board chair Molly Van Houweling emphasized that Creative Commons’ vision was not necessarily limited to the internet, but instead acts in support of the creative spirit that is enabled by the internet.

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a-transformative-year

At this year’s Global Summit, board chair Molly Van Houweling emphasized that Creative Commons’ vision was not necessarily limited to the internet, but instead acts in support of the creative spirit that is enabled by the internet. As we announce a landmark 1.4 billion works under Creative Commons licenses with this year’s State of the Commons report, we are celebrating that creative spirit – the people and communities who work to enable the large scale global movement for the Commons.

growth of cc licenses

While Creative Commons provides tools and programs that enable sharing on the web – the licenses, legal work, and resources that we build and steward – that work is driven by a global community that works to enable a world that is more open and collaborative. Supported by our new community-driven network strategy, we provide support to projects and people with events, grants, and solidarity work on campaigns like Compartir no es Delito! (Sharing is not a crime!) and the fight for Net Neutrality.

policy-sotc

People, projects, and programs make up the bulk of this year’s report, but the data also supports our vision of a more creative, open world. 1.4 billion works is 200 million more than last year, and that growth has accelerated compared to the previous two years. To provide concrete examples: The Metropolitan Museum released 375,000 pieces of content under CC0 in February 2017. PLOS counts 7,000 editorial board members and 70,000+ volunteer peer reviewers to release 200,000 pieces of content. Wikipedia, one of our closest allies and partner in the “Big Open”, hosts 42 million freely licensed pieces of content. Our search tool has responded to 1,500,000 queries, and our website has been visited 50,000,000 times. And that’s only a part of our impact.

ccsearch

From our growing tech team to our usability initiative, we’re working smarter than ever to fulfill our organizational mandate of building a “vibrant, global Commons built on gratitude.” In order to compile this year’s report, we put out a call to our network to ask which people, country teams, and projects are making the biggest impact around the world. From Razan Al Hadid’s work to revive CC Jordan to Scann’s continued work for the public domain in Argentina, the Creative Commons community is made up of individuals working for a better world. (The fact that almost all the profiles are of women is just a happy accident for the UnCommon Women who carry the movement.)

uncommon-women

This year’s highlights include the launch of the CC Certificates program, the Bassel Khartabil Memorial Fund and Fellowship (awarded at the Global Summit), the new Rights Back Resource for creators to reclaim their creative work, and stories from teams as far away from each other as Tanzania, Canada, and Uruguay.

As usual, we’ll be translating the report with a team of volunteers over the next month, and spots are still available! Please get in touch if you’d like to translate.

By uplifting the stories of our friends and colleagues, we’re demonstrating what happens when communities champion each other’s work, and how we model the world we want to see. The report’s data is always fun, but it belies the depth of the humanity that underscores the commons.

As I’ve said before, “Creative Commons is made of people,” and this report tells their stories. Thank you again for all your support, and be sure to share out your impressions with the hashtag #sotc.

Visit the report

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We want your story ideas about collaboration in the commons https://creativecommons.org/2017/07/25/want-story-ideas-collaboration-commons/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=want-story-ideas-collaboration-commons Tue, 25 Jul 2017 16:16:09 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=53328 We need your help! Over the next year, we will be investigating and reporting on 2-3 of the most compelling stories about collaboration in the commons. We want to tell the story of when and why a creator first decides to use CC, the kinds of connections they make online, how they invite and encourage…

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Collaboration by Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0

We need your help!

Over the next year, we will be investigating and reporting on 2-3 of the most compelling stories about collaboration in the commons. We want to tell the story of when and why a creator first decides to use CC, the kinds of connections they make online, how they invite and encourage collaboration, and what makes them feel like they are valued for their work and part of a community. We’re looking for stories that are similar to the 2016 State of the Commons, but deeper, getting at the heart of what really drives collaboration online.  

This is part of our prosocial work, which you can read about in this post:

“We are broadening our focus to look more holistically at sharing and collaboration online. We will investigate the values and behaviors associated with successful collaboration, in the hopes that we might apply them to content platforms where CC licensing is taking place, thereby enhancing the experience of sharing with CC.”

Fill out this short form (it takes 3 min to complete). We are asking for story leads — not fully fleshed out stories — so don’t worry about having enough material for a case study. We plan to contact, interview, and follow these creators or projects over the next year. So if you can think of 1-2 compelling leads, please share!

We are prioritizing the following fields:

  • 3D printing
  • Arts & Culture
  • Media & Journalism

The form will be open for submissions through 15 August, 2017. Looking forward to your ideas. Contact us with any questions!

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State of the Commons Highlight: Dr. Amin Azzam https://creativecommons.org/2017/05/26/state-commons-highlight-dr-amin-azzam/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-commons-highlight-dr-amin-azzam Fri, 26 May 2017 21:12:31 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=52856 Supported by the Wiki Education Foundation, Azzam created a course for the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program that encourages and supports medical students in their efforts to edit Wikipedia articles on health-related topics.

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This week, we’re featuring stories from this year’s State of the Commons report, which highlights the impact of our global community by exploring the wide array of creativity and knowledge that is freely available to the world under under CC licenses. Read more about why this report marks our biggest year yet. 


amin-azzam

Supported by the Wiki Education Foundation, Azzam created a course for the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program that encourages and supports medical students in their efforts to edit Wikipedia articles on health-related topics. The impact of these students’ work is described in a research article entitled, “Why Medical Schools Should Embrace Wikipedia: Final-Year Medical Student Contributions to Wikipedia Articles for Academic Credit at One School,” which was published in Academic Medicine, a top academic medical journal.

Medical and health-related articles on Wikipedia are among the top articles viewed by the general public. The articles edited and improved by the medical students in Dr. Azzam’s course were viewed 1.1 million times during the two months that the students were actively editing the articles. The 42 articles have been collectively viewed over 22 million times over the past year.

Azzam’s work established a course based solely on open educational practice, which resulted in new works being added to the commons and existing works being adapted via Wikipedia.

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State of the Commons Highlight: Maya Zankoul https://creativecommons.org/2017/05/25/maya-zankoul-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maya-zankoul-2 Thu, 25 May 2017 19:05:25 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=52850 Zankoul’s first book, Amalgam, was published in 2009 under a CC BY-NC license. The book sprung from her popular web comic exploring life, work, and art in Beirut and beyond.

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This week, we’ll be featuring stories from this year’s State of the Commons report, which highlights the impact of our global community by exploring the wide array of creativity and knowledge that is freely available to the world under under CC licenses. Read more about why this report marks our biggest year yet. 

In November 2016, we interviewed the Lebanese artist Maya Zankoul about her impact as a CC creator. We were thrilled to feature her work in this year’s State of the Commons.


maya-zankoul

Zankoul’s first book, Amalgam, was published in 2009 under a CC BY-NC license. The book sprung from her popular web comic exploring life, work, and art in Beirut and beyond.

Zankoul’s work touches on the connections between cultures with illustrations shaped by her rich, artistic world. Her newest book, Beirut – New York, was published this autumn.

“I find that my illustrations allow people to see things differently. It allows them to step outside the status quo.” – Maya Zankoul

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State of the Commons Highlight: An interview with the filmmakers behind Alike Film https://creativecommons.org/2017/05/24/alike/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=alike Wed, 24 May 2017 15:19:00 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=52827 The film has debuted at 120 festivals and won nearly as many awards.

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alike-film

“Alike” was directed by Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Mende, and was made in collaboration with ex Pepe-School-Land students. The film was developed using the open source operating system Linux and Blender, a free and open source 3D creation suite. The film has debuted at 120 festivals and won nearly as many awards.

Watch Alike:

Alike short film from Pepe School Land on Vimeo.

Interview with the filmmakers: Rafa Cano Mende and Daniel Martinez Lara

Alike is a successful film licensed under CC BY-ND made with Blender. What made you decide to license it under CC? How did you work with the Blender community to make your film more successful?

From the beginning, we were clear. After touring for festivals we wanted the short film to be available and free on internet so the message reaches as many people as possible. The CC license is perfect for that reason.

Alike has been our first short film made in Blender entirely, and we are really happy with our decision. It is not the “free” that matters. We have become part of the “Blender Community” due to the strength of users and programmers – they are always willing to solve and come up with ideas.

You chose to license the graphics under ND and the script under BY. Why did you make that decision? Why did you separate the two?

When we were developing the short film, we wanted to protect the script and characters more traditionally because our work was not finished. When we finished it we wanted to share our project with everybody, and its final form was the Alike short film video, which we shared with a more open license.

Alike is a heartwarming story about the special bond between a father and son as well as the perils of being too busy in an overconnected world. How did you come up with the story?

When you are a father, you usually wonder which will be the best way to raise your children. Alike tries to be a reflection and tries to help you to be aware about letting you go by stress and routine, and always trying to find an answer from the calm.

How did you bring the graphics and the script together so seamlessly?

This convergence is because of Rafa Cano, co-director, art director, and animation supervisor of the film. Cano has had the sensitivity of understanding Alike´s story and designed a world and an animation customized to the story.

You’ve won a number of awards with this short! How does the commons play into this? Why is it important to be a part of the global commons?

On the tour festival stage, we don’t know how the commons license has influenced it. But due to the film’s success, we feel confident to continue sharing films under Commons licenses on the internet.

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State of the Commons Feature: Geonet https://creativecommons.org/2017/05/23/geonet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=geonet Tue, 23 May 2017 15:46:47 +0000 https://creativecommons.org/?p=52816 GeoNet adopted a CC BY license in order to provide crucial, open information and quick response to earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis.

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This week, we’ll be featuring stories from this year’s State of the Commons report, which highlights the impact of our global community by exploring the wide array of creativity and knowledge that is freely available to the world under under CC licenses. Read more about why this report marks our biggest year yet.


geonet-recap

GeoNet adopted a CC BY license in order to provide crucial, open information and quick response to earthquakes, volcanic activity, and tsunamis. Its real-time CC BY-licensed and open format data is now reused every day for emergency management, research, industry use, and by the public. GeoNet has become a core tool for global positioning systems, measuring instruments, geotechnical consultancies, local and central government, as well as for national and international universities and research organizations. In 2016, It recorded over 32,000 earthquakes and has changed the way that the public learns about and understands earthquakes through its open format.

On 14 November 2016, the day of the Kaikoura 7.8 magnitude earthquake, there were 250 million hits to the site by third party apps – people around the world wanted to know the strength of the earthquake and what that meant for them. Geonet sent out 206 million advisories that day through its app, website, and social media sites.

Due to the reach of Geonet, there is increasing information on a variety of safety protocols like where one must move to avoid tsunamis and advice about what size after-shock to expect. Worldwide, new knowledge and research has been developed through legal reuse of this licensed data.

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