Save the Date: Public Domain Day 2020 Is Happening in January in Washington, D.C.

Creative Commons is thrilled to announce that the second Public Domain Day celebration is happening on January 30, 2020 in Washington, D.C. We’re working with our friends at the Internet Archive, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University Washington College of Law, Creative Commons USA, the Institute for Intellectual Property & … Read More “Save the Date: Public Domain Day 2020 Is Happening in January in Washington, D.C.”

The New UNESCO House in Paris

A Coalition to Support Implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation

The UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Recommendation was unanimously adopted on November 25 by 193 UNESCO member states at the 40th UNESCO General Conference. This milestone offers a unique opportunity to advance open education around the world. Why does it matter? This Recommendation is an official UNESCO instrument that gives national governments a specific list … Read More “A Coalition to Support Implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation”

Millions Now Have Access to the CC Certificate in Italian and Arabic!

To date, the CC Certificate has only been available in English. However, thanks to the incredible efforts of CC Global Network members, the CC Certificate course content (e.g., readings, articles, etc.) is being translated into multiple languages. In particular, we are proud to highlight the work of CC Network members in Italy and Saudi Arabia. … Read More “Millions Now Have Access to the CC Certificate in Italian and Arabic!”

Bust of Nefertiti

Reproductions of Public Domain Works Should Remain in the Public Domain

It has come to the attention of Creative Commons that there is an increased use of CC licenses by cultural heritage institutions on photographic reproductions and 3D scans of objects such as sculptures, busts, engravings, and inscriptions, among others, that are indisputably in the public domain worldwide. A recent example is the 3000-year-old Nefertiti bust … Read More “Reproductions of Public Domain Works Should Remain in the Public Domain”

Access to Information Is Not Universal: Here’s Why That Matters

Today is the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). You may be wondering why this day is necessary—particularly in 2019, when the average person is inundated with an estimated 34 gigabytes of information every day, from emails and text messages to Youtube videos and news programs. In fact, it’s easy to take information … Read More “Access to Information Is Not Universal: Here’s Why That Matters”

Announcing an Open Call for Proposals: The Bassel Khartabil Fellowship

Today the Fabricatorz Foundation announced an open call for applicants for the Bassel Khartabil Fellowship.  The Fellowship supports outstanding individuals developing free culture projects in their communities under adverse circumstances, honoring the legacy of beloved artist, open source technology innovator, free culture advocate Bassel Khartabil. Bassel was Creative Commons’ Syrian project lead, the cofounder of … Read More “Announcing an Open Call for Proposals: The Bassel Khartabil Fellowship”

European Commission forging ahead to boost public sector information and open science

  While the EU copyright reform teeters on the edge of turning into a complete disaster, last week the European Commission published a proposal for a revision of the Directive on the reuse of public sector information (PSI Directive), and a recommendation on access to and preservation of scientific information. Both of these documents are … Read More “European Commission forging ahead to boost public sector information and open science”

A Thank You to Everyone Who Supported Diego and Open Access to Knowledge

In December Diego Gómez was finally cleared of the criminal charges levied against him for sharing an academic research paper on the internet. The Tribunal de Bogotá—the Colombian appellate court—affirmed the lower court’s acquittal. Gómez is a scientist from Colombia who had been criminally prosecuted for the last three years for sharing an academic paper … Read More “A Thank You to Everyone Who Supported Diego and Open Access to Knowledge”

Colombian appellate court affirms: Diego Gómez not guilty for sharing research paper online

Yesterday we learned that the Tribunal de Bogotá—the Colombian appellate court—has affirmed the lower court’s acquittal of Diego Gómez. Gómez is a scientist from Colombia who has been criminally prosecuted for the last three years for sharing an academic paper online. When Diego was a student in conservation biology in Colombia, he had poor access … Read More “Colombian appellate court affirms: Diego Gómez not guilty for sharing research paper online”

Open In Order To…Fulfill Our Vision for Universal Access to Research and Education

It’s Open Access Week, the yearly global event to raise broad awareness about the opportunities and benefits for open access to scientific and scholarly research. Open Access Week—now in its 10th year—also mobilises action for progressive policy changes so that researchers and the public get immediate online access to the results of scholarly research, and … Read More “Open In Order To…Fulfill Our Vision for Universal Access to Research and Education”