Cc-europe mailing list

[Jonas Öberg <jonas AT creativecommons.org>]

Hi all,

I've prepared a short text on the most important outcome of this
mornings session, as I perceive them, based on the notes taken by John
(thanks!). I decided not to include some of the discussions on license
porting, as I feel this will anyway be covered in depth in the 4.0
sessions separately. Instead, I focused on the need for additional
collaboration and joint projects, which it felt that we were all in
rough consensus about.

Here's my writeup, please feel free to comment and expand on our thoughts:

"There is no shortage of talent in our network: each and every
affiliate bring skills to  the network, some of which are shared.
Others which are unique. Our licenses are at the heart of our
activities and provide a stable foundation on which we build using our
combined strength.

A concern in the European region is the limited communication between
affiliates, as well as between the affiliates and CC HQ. We do not
wish to say that there is none, but rather that recognizing the
strengths of each affiliate and how the interests of each affiliate
can be leveraged for our common goals require additional communication
beyond that which is taking place today.

However, an increase in communication in and by itself would not
necessarily lead to the advances we seek. More stress should be put on
joint projects within the region as well as between the regions. An
increase in such projects will in and by itself lead to an increase in
communication between the affiliates, responding to an actual and real
need for communication.

Such collaborative projects might also be a way to, over time, find
the resources required to make the activities of the affiliates
sustainable. Doing so, however, is a significant investment in time.
One way to counter this could be to aim for portable solutions which
can be developed jointly and then applied in each applicable
jurisdiction.

We have identified a difference between CC HQ and affiliates in that
most affiliates do other activities which are related to, but not
necessarily an integral part of Creative Commons. As the overall
strategy of Creative Commons becomes clearer, something which
affiliates should have a significant say in, activities that end up at
the fringe of what CC HQ should be doing could be activities instead
taken on by affiliates.

If we are to succeed in our goals – goals which could include
incorporating CC principles in legislation, increasing the use of CC
licenses, or just increasing awareness of CC – we require
collaborative efforts. A critical short- and medium term goal for the
European region therefore is to create additional opportunities for
collaboration, something which in itself will require additional
opportunities to meet each other and exchange ideas and viewpoints."


Jonas