Creative Commons, OERs and Beyond

The article opines that the abuse of original material, particularly when accompanied by fictitious editors and misleading implications of author permission, is indisputably unethical but whether is it illegal. Topics include the two central issues include whether the publishers are actually in breach of the Creative Commons license and whether these licenses are too permissive to begin with.

This paper discusses the problem of lack of clear licensing and transparency of usage terms and conditions for research metadata. Making research data connected, discoverable and reusable are the key enablers of the new data revolution in research. We discuss how the lack of transparency hinders discovery of research data and make it disconnected from the publication and other trusted research outcomes. In addition, we discuss the application of Creative Commons licenses for research metadata, and provide some examples of the applicability of this approach to internationally known data infrastructures.

The author examines the opposition of scholars and academics to a particular parameter of open access called the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. He compares the CC BY to the Berlin Declaration on Open Access. He also cites several moves by some institutions to integrate CC BY into the definition of open access and a survey by publisher Taylor & Francis of its authors which found that 65 percent opposed the use of CC BY.

As digital technology thrusts complexity upon copyright law, conflict has escalated between copyright holders desperate to institute a vigorous enforcement mechanism against copying in order to protect their ownership and others who underscore the importance of public interests in accessing and using copyrighted works. This study explores whether Creative Commons (CC) licenses are a viable solution for copyright protection in the digital era. Through a mixed-methods approach involving a web-based survey of CC licensors, a content analysis of CC-licensed works, and interviews, the study characterizes CC licensors, the ways that CC licensors produce creative works, the private interests that CC licenses serve, and the public interests that CC licenses serve. The findings suggest that the Creative Commons can alleviate some of the problems caused by the copyright conflict.

Creative works on the Internet (online works) present challenges to the traditional copyright model. Creative Commons licences are one response to these challenges. Despite the many positive features of Creative Commons licences, certain aspects have attracted criticism. The flaws in Creative Commons licences are a symptom of a broader failure of the copyright system itself to engage with the community. Creative Commons licences operate within the traditional copyright model, despite having some resonance with a developing copyright paradigm. Yet many concepts of copyright are not understood by the wider community; indeed, some remain a source of ongoing debate within the legal academy. Furthermore, there is evidence that community norms and expectations in relation to online works conflict with the legal environment provided by copyright law. The author argues that until these issues are addressed, an attempt to reconceptualise the legal environment by working within its constraints is unlikely to be successful.

This article provides an introduction to the use of the Creative Commons licence system, and sets it in a historical, economic and political context. It is written from the perspective of involvement in open educational projects in an arts university that has used the licences. A description of the fundamental features of the licences and their uses is given, together with an outline of how the Creative Commons organisation works and its strategic aims. An assessment of the usefulness of these licences is provided, together with a description of the challenges faced in dealing with low levels of legal awareness amongst academics. Practical advice and sources of further information and guidance are offered to help readers implement the licences locally.

The Creative Commons (CC) licenses are a suite of copyright-based licenses defining terms for the distribution and re-use of creative works. CC provides licenses for different use cases and includes open content licenses such as the Attribution license (CC BY, used by many Open Access scientific publishers) and the Attribution Share Alike license (CC BY-SA, used by Wikipedia, for example). However, the license suite also contains non-free and non-open licenses like those containing a “non-commercial” (NC) condition. Although many people identify “non-commercial” with “non-profit”, detailed analysis reveals that significant differences exist and that the license may impose some unexpected re-use limitations on works thus licensed. After providing background information on the concepts of Creative Commons licenses in general, this contribution focuses on the NC condition, its advantages, disadvantages and appropriate scope. Specifically, it contributes material towards a risk analysis for potential re-users of NC-licensed works.

Creative Commons Licenses Can Provide Copyright Defenses An infringement claim can be easy to assert--the plaintiff just shows ownership of a valid copyright, and copying of his or her work.

This paper analyze the active Brazilian journals of Information Science listed in the BRAPCI database, according to their copyright and Creative Commons (CC) licenses, in order to identify the access policy, the license adopted and its availability on the web. Method. The methodology focus on descriptive and documentary features in 52 journals, of which 34 were active, during the period of 2015-2017. Results. The main results are that most journals are concentrated in the Qualis/Capes B1 listing (24%); 59% have any information about the DOAJ portal; 94% have a free access policy section; 53% of journals have CC licenses, but 18% present errors or contradictions in their licenses; within those with a CC license, 50% use Recognition - Noncommercial (by nc); 24% of the journals are protected by traditional copyright; 56% offer some CC information in the policy link section; the copyright statement appears in 79% of the journals but just 38% use this section to show information about the type of license used. Conclusions. In general terms, there is a direct relationship between open access to Information Science journals and free access. The focus of the publishers is to offer the contents without the users having to pay, excluding another important aspect: the rights assigned.

This article explores the tensions inherent in the ownership and reuse of scholarly works, with a focus on achieving open access (OA) aims via Creative Commons licences. This US initiative has had an enormous impact on the access to, dissemination and reuse of UK-authored scholarly literature since the Finch report of 2012. However, confusion abounds within the funding, publishing and academic communities about the correct uses and long-term implications of using such licences. This has legal consequences, as well as consequences for the author, readers and institutions who have to report compliance regarding OA in order to secure future research funding. Ownership is an important part of this picture. Creative Commons licences are legally binding on licensor and licensee, and only the copyright owner may release their work under such a licence. The complex research funding and sharing ecosystem has resulted in a 'policy stack' challenge1 with authors given little choice about their options. This paper examines some of these challenges through an exploration of current UKRI policy and the copyright licences of one publisher, with a focus on text and data mining.

The Creative Commons licenses, also known as CC, allow the authors to retain the copyright over the works while granting some right to the others, like the permission to modify or to use the work for commercial purposes.

The Creative Commons licenses, also known as CC, allow the authors to retain the copyright over the works while granting some right to the others, like the permission to modify or to use the work for commercial purposes.

The article discusses the proposed reformation of America's copyright laws to better protect authors as of 2015, and it mentions legal protections for academic authors, as well as Creative Commons licenses and copyright holders' exclusive rights. Contracts and a fair use doctrine are mentioned, as well as legal reform efforts in America. The Authors Alliance advocacy group's "Principles and Proposals for Copyright Reform" are examined, along with the management of intellectual legacies.

The article focuses on open-content licensing in the U.S. An overview of the conditions for licensing rights is offered. Jim Klein, director of information services and technology for the Saugus Union school system near Los Angeles, California, agrees that open licenses could potentially reshape the way information is shared among educators. It states that fewer than half the Web sites that gather open educational resources use Creative Commons licenses.

Two recent and related social developments of note for libraries are an upsurge in cultural participation enabled by Web 2.0 media and calls in government policy for enhanced innovation through education. Ironically, these have occurred at the same time that increasingly stringent copyright laws have restricted access to cultural content. Concepts of governmentality are used here to examine these tensions and contradictions. In particular, Foucault's critique of the author figure and freedom as part of the will to govern within liberal democratic societies is used to argue for better quality copyright education programs in school libraries and library information science education programs. For purposes of teaching and research, copyrights are defined as agglomerations of legal, economic, and educational discourses that enable and constrain what can and cannot be done with text in homes, schools, and library media centers. This article presents some possibilities for renewal of school libraries around copyright education and Creative Commons licensing.