Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

cc-licenses - Re: [cc-licenses] CC:BY ... lost in translation?

cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Development of Creative Commons licenses

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Brink <peter.brink AT brinkdata.se>
  • To: Discussion on the Creative Commons license drafts <cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [cc-licenses] CC:BY ... lost in translation?
  • Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:58:42 +0100

Michael Tiemann skrev:
The text of the CC:BY 2.5 license deed (simplified text) says:

Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified
by the author or licensor.

[ From http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ ]

This is much more broad than what the underlying legal code actually
says, permits, or requires. For example: say I'm the CEO of FUBAR Inc.
I offer a software package under CC:BY, and the manner of attribution I
specify is "whenever you use this software, you must wear a FUBAR T-
shirt over your regular shirt. And FUBAR T-shirts cost $10,000 each,
purchased from our website, http://fubar.biz ". The detailed license
text paints a much more narrow definition of attribution than this, but
the deed text seems to allow, if not encourage, such extravagant
requirements.

How can we better characterize what is fair and reasonable attribution
so that CC:BY has a sensibly bounded scope, both in short-hand and long-
hand forms?


It's the legal code that constitutes the contract (licence, deal or whatever you want to call it), not the deed. If there's is a direct difference btw the deed and the code, the code takes precedence. If there's an ambiguity in the code then the deed can be used to support interpretations if the code.

So, if you are uncertain about how to deal with attribution you have to turn to the legal code for guidance.

/Peter Brink




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page