Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

cc-licenses - [cc-licenses] ShareAlike extent

cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Development of Creative Commons licenses

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Will Martin <wdmartin AT mail.utexas.edu>
  • To: cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [cc-licenses] ShareAlike extent
  • Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 02:14:33 -0500

All,

Hiya. I've got some questions about just how the ShareAlike clause works when we're talking about incorporating photos into web pages as backgrounds.

I've put together a test case to illustrate. I started with a BY-NC-SA licensed photo on flickr,[1] and used a portion of the photo as a background in a web page.[2] Note that the page displays one of ten Shakespeare quotes at random when you load it, so it won't be the same for every visitor. So here are my questions:

1) Does the ShareAlike clause apply to the HTML and CSS?

2) Does the ShareAlike clause apply to the other images in the page?

3) One image bears text saying "Who needs a typewriter?" Does the ShareAlike clause apply to the font I used to create the text in that image? I don't think it does, I just want to know precisely where I stand.

4) The Shakespeare quotes are in the public domain. Does the ShareAlike clause apply to them in this context? If I copy and paste a quote from this web page, does the ShareAlike clause apply to whatever I paste it into?

5) I wrote some PHP to pick a quote each time the page is loaded. That code executes on the server, and never appears in the web page. But it is part of the file. Does the ShareAlike code apply to the PHP code?

6) If I had linked my PHP code to an external PHP file produced by somebody else, would the ShareAlike clause have applied to that external file? (I didn't link to anything in this case, but it'd be nice to know, since that's common practice.)

7) If I had used this as a background image in a site allowing user-contributed content, such as a forum, would the posts by my users fall under the ShareAlike provision too?

Hmm. I think that about covers it for now. I just want to know for certain how far that ShareAlike clause extends. If it really does extend to absolutely everything, then (for example) I won't be able to use a BY-SA photo as a background in a project for a client who isn't willing to share their entire web site. For another example, I won't be able to use a BY-NC-SA licensed photo in a web site for a college course (assuming you count education as non-commercial), unless I as a teacher am willing to license the syllabus, assignments, and any student-generated content under the same license.

Thanks.

Will Martin

[1] The original macaque photo by Nao-cha: http://flickr.com/photos/nao-cha/282002836/

[2] My web page: http://atuan.com/MonkeyShines/

P.S. I wish CC offered a web-based forum instead of these clunky mailing lists.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page