[cc-community] non-commercial use

Terry Hancock hancock at anansispaceworks.com
Mon Mar 10 08:45:36 EDT 2008


Jamison Young wrote:
> Questions: even if a site is set up as a non-profit is it fair that  
> they run google adds with content licensed under a non-commercial  
> license?  I understand that often the non-profit makes very little  
> from the adds, yet how do creators view this use?

In fact, in many cases, they are lucky if they make up the hosting fees.
It costs money to distribute content over the internet. Artists are
getting a free ride when they distribute that way -- but *somebody* has
to pay the bills, or the party's over.

> Are most artists ok
> about that art  being associated with any product that google choose  
> for ever and not participating in any part of that revenue?  If a  
> creative commons non-commercial use did not allow any kind of  
> associated advertising, would the license work better? Is there a  
> demand for a non-commercial license that does not allow advertising?

Since the CC guidelines prohibit this kind of use, the question is
rather the reverse -- is there demand among artists for a *sustainable*
system for distributing their content?

CC-By-SA provides a much better solution for that. The SA means that in
fact, no one is going to be gouging prices as the natural market price
for SA works is precisely the cost of distribution, and as such,
monopoly-inflated costs (if anyone is stupid enough to charge them or
pay them) will not last.

And I don't mean this personally against you, Jamison, but I do find
this attitude a little exasperating:

I mean if you think it's such a money-making racket to run a
distribution site, why don't YOU do it? Then you would definitely be
participating in the income, wouldn't you?

An if your answer is "but I don't know how" or "but that takes capital"
or "but that's a lot of work" -- well, then, don't you think that the
people who *can* do those things to contribute to your success deserve
to be paid for the work they are doing for you?

Cheers,
Terry

-- 
Terry Hancock (hancock at AnansiSpaceworks.com)
Anansi Spaceworks http://www.AnansiSpaceworks.com



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