Copyright laws vary from country to country, yet international agreements on copyright set minimum standards for copyright around the world, in effort to standardize copyright laws. Learning Outcomes Learn how the copyright laws of your country may differ from those of other countries Identify major international treaties and efforts to harmonize laws around the world…
Is copyright confusing to you? Get some clarity by understanding its history and purpose. Learning Outcomes Explain basic principles of copyright Trace the basic history of copyright Explain the purpose of copyright Explain general copyright terms Big Question / Why It Matters Why do we have laws that restrict the copying and sharing of creative…
Creative Commons licenses do not replace copyright. They are built to work with it. The default of “all rights reserved” copyright is that all rights to copy and adapt a work are reserved by the author or creator (with some important limitations and exceptions that you will learn about shortly). Creative Commons licenses adopt a…
Jess joined Creative Commons in 2025 as Development Manager, with over a decade of experience working to support the fundraising efforts of a variety of nonprofit organizations. Prior to working for CC, she has worked in development at organizations such as Internet Archive, The Moth, and the Tenement Museum. Jess has a passion for storytelling…
More information about CC history The history of Creative Commons by Duncan Geere. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Unported. In this article originally published in Wired UK, learn a bit more about the history of Creative Commons. Excerpt from Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig. CC BY-NC 1.0 Excerpt that provides more background on the Eldred case. More…
What is the relationship between Creative Commons and “Open Culture”? Explore the shared mission and take a look at the benefits of working collaboratively with the larger open movement. Learning Outcomes Describe the importance of making content available over the internet. Explore the history and key developments that helped grow the Open Culture (sometimes known…
As a set of legal tools, a nonprofit, and a global network and movement, Creative Commons has evolved in many ways over the course of its history. Learning Outcomes Differentiate between Creative Commons as a set of licenses, a movement, and a nonprofit organization Explain the role of the CC Global Network Describe the basic…
To understand how a set of copyright licenses could inspire a global movement, you need to know a bit about the origin of Creative Commons. Learning Outcomes Retell the story of why Creative Commons was founded Identify the role of copyright law in the creation of Creative Commons Big Question / Why It Matters What…
Creative Commons is a set of legal tools and a nonprofit organization, as well as a global network and a movement — all inspired by people’s willingness to share their creativity and knowledge, and enabled by a set of open copyright licenses. Creative Commons began in response to an outdated global copyright legal system. CC…