Copyright & Creative Commons

"Creative Commons (CC) is an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture we need to address the world’s most pressing challenges and create a brighter future for all."

Creative Commons began with copyright. Copyright grants exclusive rights to creators. These rights prevent others from copying or distributing works for a set amount of time; however, the invention of the internet created tension between copyright regulations and creators' desire to share their work.

The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CETA) of 1998 extended the term of copyright in the US to life of the creator plus 70 years. Stanford Law professor, Lawrence Lessig, believed CETA was unconstitutional. He represented Eric Eldred in an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of CETA. Eldred v. Ashcroft made its way to the Supreme Court where Lessig and Eldred eventually lost.

Undaunted by their court loss, Lessig and others created a nonprofit organization called Creative Commons and published the Creative Commons licenses in 2002. 

• CC licenses give creators an alternative to the restrictive "all rights reserved" copyright protection. They allow creators to contribute to a more open and equitable sharing community.

• Over 2.5 billion creative and scholarly works carry a CC license. These original works representing growing global community celebrating openness, collaboration, and creativity.