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cc-licenses - [cc-licenses] Version 4:0: suggested change to definition of "noncommercial"

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Subject: Development of Creative Commons licenses

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  • From: Heather Morrison <hgmorris AT sfu.ca>
  • To: Development of Creative Commons licenses <cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [cc-licenses] Version 4:0: suggested change to definition of "noncommercial"
  • Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 18:29:34 -0700

Thanks very much to Diane Peters & the CC team on the draft CC-BY-NC- SA. Good work, I appreciate the background provided, and the continued support for NC.

I would like to propose a change in the definition of "noncommercial". Currently, this reads:

(f) NonCommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or private monetary compensation. For purposes of this Public License, the exchange of the Licensed Work by digital file- sharing or similar means is NonCommercial provided there is no payment of monetary compensation in connection with the exchange.

suggested change to:

(f) NonCommercial means not intended for re-sale or re-use of the Licensed Work for private monetary compensation (for example, as a means to attract advertising revenue). For purposes of this Public License, the exchange of the Licensed Work by digital file-sharing or similar means is NonCommercial provided there is no payment of monetary compensation in connection with the exchange. For the avoidance of doubt, educational use - teaching and learning - is Noncommercial, and permitted by this Public License, while including the content in a package intended for sale to educational institutions for profit is Commercial, and prohibited by this Public License.

Web-based or other discovery services that rely on advertising revenue, such as search engines, may use advertising IN CONNECTION WITH THEIR SERVICES in connecting searchers to this content; this does not constitute commercial use of the content. Advertising that constitutes exploitation of the content for commercial purposes, such as advertising inserted into a derivative, advertising that readers are forced to watch before viewing the content, creating the impression of sponsorship, or advertising that implies that the creator endorses the advertised product, constitutes commercial use and is prohibited by this license.

Background:

After re-reading the Executive Summary of the Defining Noncommercial report, it strikes me that part of the problem with the overly broad definition of noncommercial stems from lack of understanding of copyright by most of the population (as noted in this report). The idea that you cannot use a work if what you are doing is commercial in nature, from my perspective, suggests that copyright is not just about expression of ideas, but rather about ideas themselves. I think this sets a bad precedent, and it would be a good idea for Creative Commons to steer away from this.

best,

Heather Morrison
hgmorris AT sfu.ca








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