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cc-licenses - Personal opinions and Attribution-ShareAlike (by-sa) license

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Subject: Development of Creative Commons licenses

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  • From: Lorenzo De Tomasi <lorenzo.detomasi AT creativecommons.it>
  • To: <cc-licenses AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Personal opinions and Attribution-ShareAlike (by-sa) license
  • Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:22:33 +0200

If I realize a work, for example a text full of personal opinions, and I
distribute it under a CC attribution license others can "copy, distribute,
display, and perform my copyrighted work ‹ and derivative works based upon
it ‹ but only if they give me credit and if they distribute derivative works
only under a license identical to the license that governs my work".
I can have decided to do this because the text is an essay and I want to
start and stimulate a debate giving the possibility also to quote big parts
of the text that may exceed the limit permitted by fair use principles. I
can also agree that people delete parts to add their personal opinions.
For example I can submit the essay in a Mailing list and stimulate a debate.
ML members can express their opinions, modify the text as they want and
create their own versions. Then I can collect some opinions by other people
I agree with and I can write a new different and more complete text...

So, when someone realizes a derivative work, this work can be made of
1. quoted text identical to the original one
2. text modified from the original

If the content of the text is objective (like a list of events or laws) it's
not a problem if the original author will be cited between the authors of
the new work, but
if the content of the text is subjective, if the text is full of personal
opinions, it's important
1. to differentiate quoted text from modified text or
2. to specify that the work has been modified from an original work by
another author and that may include opinions different from the ones of the
original author.
This because the author of the original work can be in contrast with the
opinions expressed in the derivative work and, citing him simply as one of
the authors of the derivative work, can induce people to attribute to him
also the opinions expressed in the derivative work. This can also be used
intentionally in dangerous ways.

I think that CC licenses must be revised considering these problems.
What's your opinion?

Thank you for your attention :-)




  • Personal opinions and Attribution-ShareAlike (by-sa) license, Lorenzo De Tomasi, 10/11/2003

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