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cc-licenses - Re: [cc-licenses] NC considered harmful? Prove it...

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Subject: Development of Creative Commons licenses

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  • From: "Gregory Maxwell" <gmaxwell AT gmail.com>
  • To: "Discussion on the Creative Commons license drafts" <cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [cc-licenses] NC considered harmful? Prove it...
  • Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 22:01:01 -0500

On 3/7/07, drew Roberts <zotz AT 100jamz.com> wrote:
Let's say that we do find the NC domain being built on in a vibrant way.
Getting a lot of derivatives. We could easily end up with no one being able
to profit from the best of the works in that domain. If we want artists to be
able to earn a living from their art if they so choose and they are good
enough in the eyes of their market, then this is something that should
concern us.

A minor nit... It doesn't make sense to talk about "the commons of
works" because the freeness or existence of a work is irrelevant
without people to benefit from it. Even just talking about the artist
is a fairly narrow perspective. I think it makes the most sense to
talk about the freedom of the public.

A world of NC content is a world where you lack the freedom to use
your resources to encourage an artist to make a derivative that you
want which he would not otherwise make, if you choose. It's a world
where you don't have the freedom to pay a distribution to locate and
provide content to you in a manner you find valuable.

Some people think that with the Internet -- with Napster, Youtube,
blogs, and what have you -- that other forms of distribution are
unnecessary... but I think that this is a very myopic perspective
which ignores an entire world outside of the middle-class person in a
first-world country sitting in a chair in front of a computer.

I think it's especially troubling that the Creative Commons' latest
clarification has been to permit advertising on sites that distribute
NC content. So someone won't be able to make a good living by helping
me get what I want... but they will be able to make a great living by
blasting me with advertisements, spyware, and payola. Just wonderful.




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