[cc-licenses] Pearl Jam trying to limit the time the license applies?
J.B. Nicholson-Owens
jbn at forestfield.org
Tue May 23 00:32:02 EDT 2006
Pearl Jam is a rock band which has recently released a video under a CC
license (by-nc-nd version 2.5).
The video is on Google Video
(http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6187666924357770983) and currently
carries the text:
"Free until 5/24/2006."
Nowhere in the text on Google does it specify what will happen on May 24,
2006. I think it's reasonable to assume that the video will not enter the
Public Domain. Yet the license they've chosen says:
"3. License Grant. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License,
Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive,
perpetual (for the duration of the applicable copyright) license to
exercise the rights in the Work as stated below:"
followed by the reproduction and distribution rights.
If the license is "perpetual (for the duration of the applicable
copyright)" what will happen on May 24, 2006?
Furthermore, section 8d of the applicable CC license says that:
"This License constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with
respect to the Work licensed here. There are no understandings, agreements
or representations with respect to the Work not specified here. Licensor
shall not be bound by any additional provisions that may appear in any
communication from You. This License may not be modified without the mutual
written agreement of the Licensor and You."
So, by my reading, Pearl Jam's attempt to place a new restriction on the
license is meaningless.
At first blush, it appears that either something is really wrong with Pearl
Jam's licensing here, or I'm horribly misreading something. I don't think
Pearl Jam realizes that they are licensing something to us all under terms
that will not expire on May 24, 2006 (unless they choose to place the work
into the Public Domain), contrary to their wishes.
Any idea what's really going on here?
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