Development of Creative Commons licenses

[James Grimmelmann <james AT grimmelmann.net>]

Andres Monroy-Hernandez wrote:
> Dear list members,
> 
> We have created a new programming language called Scratch that lets kids 
> easily create animated stories, video games or interactive art. We also 
> created a website where kids can share their creations with one another. 
> The source code for all projects is always available under the Creative 
> Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
> 
> Each project page has a "Some rights reserved line" statement which 
> links to a kid-friendly description of our CC license:
> http://scratch.mit.edu/pages/license
> 
> This is how a project page looks like:
> http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/HazelleafKitty/15115
> 
> 
> I have some questions:
> 1. What do you think of the kid-friendly license?
> 2. Do you know of other projects that let kids create their own content 
> and license it?
> 3. Are kids "allowed" to license their own content?

They are, but they are also generally allowed to change their minds and
"disaffirm" contracts.  I think that this means that they could ask to
remove their creations from the site and de-license them.  What this
does to the rights of other users who have released their own creations
based on the original . . . no one is quite sure.

> 4. Could you point me to any academic or legal documents that touch upon 
> this topic in the context of CC licenses?

In the context of CC licenses specifically, no, but have a look at Thom
Hardin, The Regulation of Minors' Entertainment Contracts, Journal of
Juvenile Law, vol. 19, page 176 (1998), which talks both about the
common law of minors' contracts and California's
entertainment-industry-specific system.

James