Essay

What is Creative Commons
How is it different to other forms of copy right?




Copy right laws have one basic goal - protecting the authors of intellectual property from illegal redistribution of their work. Therefore this property cannot be shared or adapted without permission from the rights holder. In order for a potential user to access material with ‘All Rights Reserved’ they must ask permission - a process that is often difficult and costly.

The issue surrounding permission of use was a key reason for the existence of The Creative Commons (CC) in the first place. CC, instead of keeping ‘All Rights Reserved)’ to the permission holders, allows the creator to identify which rights they chose to carry, giving them greater creative freedoms. Therefore the creative ability of online media has been increased, while lowering the associated costs.



The cost associated with the redistribution of Copyrighted material poses a large threat to the creativity of individual authors and artists. In a recent documentary film, the filmmakers discovered a 3 and a half second clip with the character Homer Simpson, from The Simpsons, in the barely distinguishable background of a key informative shot. Homer Simpson is an ‘All Rights Reserved’ personality. In accordance with the strict Copy Right laws, the filmmakers were required to ask Fox Broadcasting for permission to use the footage they recorded which after a length of time was granted - at the price of $10, 00. (1)
Obstacles such as this are common, causing a massive threat to the authors and artists of creative material. Instead of being able to accurately depict the world in which we live - full of cultural products and copyrighted material - creators must painstakingly consider and remove any infringements to Copyright laws, if they wish to avoid these exorbitant fees and delays in procedures.

Before the invention and mass popularity of the internet it was not economically feasible for intellectual property to be fully protected or persecute those who do not adhere to the Copyright laws. Now, with most material available online, the content industry can easily see breaches in Copyright and have been attempting to prevent any infringements. In the past they turned a blind eye to small or unintentional infringement.

While industries and authorities are simply protecting their vested interests with strict Copyright laws, the All Rights Reserved concept has created an imbalanced enforcement of Intellectual Property. Creativity is restricted instead of stimulated, but without any protection the creative industries would suffer. Only a select minority benefit from All Rights Reserved and, in the long term, no one would benefit from the total abolition of copyright.

In attempt to rebalance Intellectual Property laws the Creative Commons was devised. New licenses became available, that allow more options in which rights are reserved, and which are not. ‘Some Rights Reserved’ has become a counterstroke to the restrictive standard ‘all rights reserved’ slogan.


There are various examples where the usage of creative Commons licensing has been a benefit to the creators and audiences alike. Musical group ‘Chuck D and the Fine Arts Militia’ released their single in 2005, “No Meaning No”. However it was not released in the traditional format. Instead of trying to legally protect their work from being circulated free online, they encouraged it.
“They posted the entire 3-minute, 12-second, in length song and its various vocal, drum and guitar components online and invited everyone to view, copy, mix, remix, sample, imitate, parody and even criticize it.” (2)
This resulted in masses of derivative work and interpretations of their song, and in accordance with CC, acknowledged of the original source. The band were so pleased with the result and publicity gained, they published their entire album in the same way, becoming the first major artist to do so.

In the same way, any worthwhile cultural product or idea will benefit from being disseminated widely, in a manner which is much better suited to the modern electronic age “Any idea or cultural product worth its salt can withstand parody and pastiche - drawing a moustache on a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, for instance, does nothing to diminish the worth of the original.” (3) This is something that the Nine Inch Nails were also aware of, encouraging their fan’s to engage with their music, rather than passively listen. They distributed their Intellectual Property under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Making sure users could clearly understand their right in relation to this album on the download site: (4)




“we encourage you to
remix it
share it with your friends,
post it on your blog,
play it on your podcast,
give it to strangers,” (5)




It’s not just music and creative industries that benefit from Creative Commons licensing. Another great example is its benefits for educational purposes. Specifically developed Creative Commons Open Education Resources. In their website they discuss the benefits in detail:
“Creative Commons provides the legal and technical infrastructure essential to the long-term success of OER, making it possible for educational resources to be widely accessible, adaptable, interoperable, and discoverable.” (6)
When Intellectual property is used in an educational setting, it is not commercial, distributed purely to improve the education of the students. For this reason CC enables;
“translation of educational resources into different language
educational resources to evolve and be improved through peer and student edits
easier discovery of educational resources on the web” (6)
None of this is possible if the creator choses to keep ‘All Rights Reserved’ instead of ‘Some Rights Reserved’.
The Creative Commons has taken the very important figurative ‘first steps’ away from the issues that surround the current ‘All Rights Reserved’ excessive model of Copyright laws. It has many benefits that Copyright do not provide. It is important to remember that Creative Commons, however helpful, simple obscure the Copyright issues rather than solving them.
In an electronically based society, we need to “settle on the proper parameters of digital information use, access, retrieval and preservation in the 21st century”. (7) CC has created an decent alternative to Copyright, without addressing the original issue. Creators can achieve a sense of correct moral conduct by simply placing a CC badge on their work without a real understanding of the issues, in much the same way a person will purchase a hybrid vehicle to appear environmentally conscious without understanding the basic issues behind global warming.


(1) http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CA401.htm
(2) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35297-2005Mar14.html
(3) http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CA401.htm
(4) http://theslip.nin.com/physical/
(5) http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/Nine_Inch_Nails_The_Slip
(6) http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Creative_Commons_and_Open_Educational_Resources
(7) http://www.copycense.com/

Additional Research Sources:
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Case_Studies/DeviantART
http://www.actnow.com.au/Issues/Illegal_downloading.aspx
http://www.copynot.com/
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:UTBV_ugENrQJ:www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(CFD7369FCAE9B8F32F341DBE097801FF)~Copyright%2BLaw%2Bin%2BAustralia%2B-%2BA%2BShort%2BGuide%2B-%2BJune%2B2005.pdf/%24file/Copyright%2BLaw%2Bin%2BAustralia%2B-%2BA%2BShort%2BGuide%2B-%2BJune%2B2005.pdf+copyright+laws&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh480hn-TAOoO4r_4-mXaNYre63PezvDjjQJo_KZwCScVuRqD8Qhmv_6C3PWlIHDB_oPVWNecGSkxNwI7QRiMiK7dWRN5Jis6GZ4fCPxMzPAqSrWtfTa82B16d1Pq-Y9aVsBkPr&sig=AHIEtbQirVYwAzABkaad2_87NlUEIIuwoA

Week 9 - Tutespark

The next piece of assessment for this course is a 1000 word essay to be posted in this blog. There were a few topics to choose from – 6 to be exact- but it wasn't hard for me to pick one. For me question 2 was the most interesting topic:

Explain what Creative Commons is and, using examples, show how it is different to other forms of copyright.

 

I really like the whole idea of Creative Commons and Open source software, I really enjoyed writing my blog post on it – hopefully by picking this topic I can minimise the pain involved in these 1000 words.

As I have already researched and written about the history and beginnings of Creative Commons, I would like to learn more about the positive impacts CC has had on creative industries. I'm not sure if it's possible at this stage yet, but it would be very interesting to do a specific case study on how CC licences had changed the way an individual, such as a filmmaker, works.

Week 9 – Lecture - Cyberpunk

To be completely honest, I don't really understand what Cyberpunk has to do with this course.

To gain a better understanding of present communication technology we have looked at the past. So it makes sense with my current knowledge on development from the first communication technology to today we should be able to roughly predict it future.

However, to me Cuberpunk is a rather obnoxious genre. From my research, every Cuberpunk story's are cliché, featuring the same marginalised protagonist. Fiction is often a great medium to express an idea that is not fiction at all, but I get the feeling that Cyberpunk is simply a fantasy of some sad lonely writer, trying to heroisice their own existence.

I do agree with some of the issues raised. Questionable morality of technological advancements are becoming a major concern for some scientific disciplines, particaly concerning genetic modification and experimentation. Perhaphs, just as Geroge Orwells's 1984 raised concerns about the future of communism vs. capitalism, Cyberpunk is making the public think about the possible consequences of science and technology. I suppose my major concern, as a literally student, is the repetition of cliché characters and overall substandard writing in this genre.

This short story is just one of the many examples I came across, The Mission part 1 by 'That Girl". Under of the usual theme of, Corporate control over society this story is rather dumb. Perhaps I am just unfortunately coming across the wrong stories, but modern Cyber punk has nothing on classic fiction. Do yourself a favour and read George Orwell instead.

 

 

http://www.short-fiction.co.uk/newstories/show_story.php?story_id=4858

Week 8 – Tutespark & Tutetask

Cyberpunk, as I've mentioned, is not really my thing – I really struggle to enjoy the genre. But this tutetask/spark helped me to understand why Cyberpunk has some relevance. Cyberpunk is a dark version of the future. The writing may not be in a style I enjoy, but the writers are trying to get a message across to their audience. Trying to warn us about the dangers of what can happen when we chose to ignore the negatives impacts of a technology based society.
I came across a very interesting article about our planet and the increasing rate of animal extinction. "There have been three major mass extinction events throughout history and biologists widely agree the world is currently suffering from another."- http://www.news.com.au/weird-true-freaky/world-facing-mass-extinction/story-e6frflri-1225913659680#ixzz126icWIq4 This is a major concern for many scientists, but worries me too.

 

This is my version of this news story, explaining this mass extinction in relevance to Cyberpunk.:

 

Earth 'facing mass extinction'

 Major marine extinction in process - study

 Organisms not coping with environment

 Humans to blame

Janne Järvinen, celebrated Cyberpunk fiction writer has published various online works, focusing on the negative impact of technology on humanity and the environment., but recent studies from Macquarie University palaeobiologist Dr John Alroy is suggesting that perhaps not all of this is entirely fiction.

He compiled data from nearly 100,000 fossil collections worldwide, tracking the fate of marine animals during extreme extinction events some 250 million years ago.

The findings, published this week in the international journal Science, showed a major extinction event was currently underway that had the potential to be more severe than any others in history.

"Organisms that might have adapted in the past may not be able to this time," Dr Alroy said.

The research shows a combination of human behaviour and climate change could have devastating affects on species across the planet.

"When there's mass extinction all bets are off and anything could happen," Dr Alroy said.

The conditions of humanity in Jarvinen's work are eerily coming into actualisation. Bio-diversity is a key factor in maintaining quality of human life, so what will happen if all the animals become extinct? Will humans survive this extinction, and if we do, how badly will our quality of life and freedom be damaged? Jarvinen has possible answers for society in her fiction novels, but for all we know, they may not be fiction for much longer.

 

 

Reference:

"The World Through Mirrorshades

Next, I will name some of the themes or aspects which belong in my opinion to the cyberpunk genre. First of all, and what "the general public" usually forget, cyberpunk is a DARK vision of the future. The industrialization has polluted earth to almost uninhabitable state, nature is suffering, all the animals have become extinct, except for those cloned from the DNA-libraries afterwards. The gap between the poor and the rich has got bigger, governments' authority is run over by multinational corporations, which care little about anything else than their profit. Crime levels increase all the time and violent solutions are being made for everyday problems. Most of the people live in comatose-like state and submit silently to the "new world order". Concepts like "the System" or "the Corporate" are present in almost every major cyberpunk story. The not-always-too-heroic heroes, "Cyberpunks" live on "the Edge" of the system desperately trying to make their weight in battle for a better society. This battle is not an open war against something, but an everyday behaviour and not accepting the part corporations have planned for them. Postmodern themes include globalization, commercialism, mixing of different cultures and ideologies in one huge media flow. "

 

• Janne Järvinen
  
• http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/aspects_and_expectations.html
  

Week 8 – Virtual philosophy

 

 

Week 8's lectured focused on the idea of virtual reality. In all honesty, this was something I found very hard to comprehend. While I accept that technology is a part of modern reality, I struggle with the idea of technology replacing physical reality with virtual.

 

I feel that, no matter how realistic a virtual reality may seem, wouldn't you always be conscious that this is in fact not real? And wouldn't that consciousness ruin the experience for you?

Perhaps people more involved in the gaming world will be more optimistic about it. Personally, I hate video games, I think they are a waste of money, time and a big waste of your brain – so I'm obviously biased against this, I agree with Sidney Blumenthal's quote -

 

"Image-making, no matter how manipulative, doesn't replace reality;   it becomes part of it."

• The Permanent Campaign
  

 

Although in theory the concept of The Matrix makes sense, I don't believe it could ever really work. Just like people used to believe that the world was flat.

Week 7 – Tute Spark

This week's Tutespark was a bit more hands on. We have been asked to try some free software alternatives.

I chose to try out two – Firefox and Openoffice – and got two different options.

Let me start with Firefox.

Great program. Quick to download, very functional ... I'm not sure what it is about this program I like so much, but it has certainly replaced Internet Explorer for me!

OpenOffice... Not such a fan. To begin with I never really liked Microsoft Office programs, but hated OpenOffice. I guess I have been using Microsoft office programs for the last 15 years, and even though OpenOffice is free, iI'm still convinced Microsoft is better for my needs as a student.

I'll stick with Firefox, but OpenOffice is already in my trash can

Week 7 – Tute Task

This weeks Tute Task is to research and provide answers to 4 questions, so here goes:

1. What is creative commons and how could this licensing framework be relevant to your own experience at university?
Creative commons, as Adam explained to us yesterday, is a type of Copy Right License. Instead of the usual rigid 'All Rights Reserved', CC License has 'Some Rights Reserved'

"Creative Commons is a world wide project that encourages copyright owners to allow others to share, reuse and remix their material, legally. We offer a range of free licences that creators can use to manage their copyright in the online environment, each providing its own specific protections and freedoms. We have built upon the "all rights reserved" of traditional copyright to create a voluntary "some rights reserved" system."

• http://creativecommons.org.au/learn-more
  

2. Find 3 examples of works created by creative commons and embed them in your blog.

There are countless works online , licensed under the creative commons.

They can be photographic;

Video (I really want to try that origami!):

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p9xKxEV1FkY?fs=1&amp;hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p9xKxEV1FkY?fs=1&amp;hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9xKxEV1FkY&feature=fvsr
  

Or even Audio:

3. Find an academic article which discusses creative commons using a database or online journal. Provide a link to and a summary of the article.

I found quite a few interesting articles about The Creative Commons, but the one that grabbed my attention the most was entitled, The Beauty of "SomeRightsReserved" by Molly Kleinman.

This was particular interesting for me because of it's relevance to my studies. Molly discusses the issues that copy right laws have created for University students, professors and libarians.

'These are difficult times when it comes to copyright on campus. Big music companies are suing fans, publishers are suing librarians, and the principle of "fair use" is under siege everywhere. Litigationhappy content holders have fostered a climate of fear in which every student is a music pirate and every professor a book thief."

She discusses how Creative Commons works and why they are such a great benefit to my , and many other student studies. – I highly recommend checking it out for yourself!

• http://crln.acrl.org/content/69/10/594.full.pdf+html
  

4. Have a look at Portable Apps (a pc based application) – provide a brief description of what it is and how you think this is useful.

The first thing i have to say about Portable Apps is, it must be a scam right? The description provided on the website simple sounds too good to be true. Anything claiming to be this good automatically makes me suspicious. A completely free program that allows me to use my programs on any computer.

"Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows computer. All without leaving any personal data behind."

• http://portableapps.com/
  

But then I researched various reviews online, and it all seems to be legitimate. This would be such a useful program for my study, ill use the example of my Photography class. Photography programs are damn expensive and take me a long time to learn all the settings. If i was to use Portable Apps I would be able to use my photography programs on any computer – I think this would save me many headaches!