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[Eric Steuer <eric AT creativecommons.org>]

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Creative Commons Announces New Vice President and General Counsel

October 1, 2007 — San Francisco, CA, USA

Virginia Rutledge has been named Vice President and General Counsel  
of Creative Commons, the organization announced today. In this  
position, Rutledge will oversee Creative Commons’s legal affairs,  
lead initiatives focused on the arts, and create partnerships with  
arts and cultural institutions both in the U.S. and internationally.

“Creative Commons has been very lucky to have had fantastic general  
counsels,” said Lawrence Lessig, CEO of Creative Commons. “But  
Virginia brings a breadth of experience and skills that is unmatched.  
I could not be happier that she has chosen CC as the next stage in  
her extraordinary career.”

Rutledge comes to Creative Commons from the New York law firm of  
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she was a litigation associate. At  
Cravath, Rutledge’s areas of practice included intellectual property,  
art, entertainment, antitrust, securities, and general commercial  
law. She has represented clients in the media and music industries,  
including Time Warner Inc., Warner Music Group, Warner Bros., and New  
Line Cinema, as well as the arts nonprofit organization the Martha  
Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.

Rutledge has extensive experience in the art world, having worked as  
an exhibition associate for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and  
served as a contributing editor for Art Papers magazine. She has  
presented on art, digital media, and intellectual property law at  
conferences around the world. Additionally, her writing on art has  
been published in Art in America and Bookforum.

Rutledge is a member of the New York State Bar, and is the current  
chair of the Art Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association  
and a member of the Committee on Intellectual Property of the College  
Art Association. She holds several academic degrees, including a J.D.  
from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law (Boalt  
Hall), and an M. Phil. in Art History from the City University of New  
York's Graduate School and University Center.

News of Rutledge’s appointment has been well received within the  
legal and arts communities. "I applaud Creative Commons for its  
inspired choice of Virginia Rutledge as Vice President and General  
Counsel,” said copyright expert William Patry, Senior Copyright  
Counsel, Google Inc. “Virginia's background in academia, the art  
world, and the white-shoe corporate law firm environment is unique.  
Her ability to forge consensus, her love of learning and commitment  
to the public interest will serve Creative Commons and the rest of us  
exceedingly well."

"I commend Creative Commons for this excellent choice to help further  
the worthy purposes of the organization,” said patron of the arts  
Martin E. Segal. “Virginia's commitment to the arts and her scholarly  
and practical background make her a wonderful addition."

"Creative Commons couldn’t have made a better choice,” said Joel  
Wachs, President of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.  
“Virginia has deep knowledge of contemporary art practices and  
institutions, and the practical experience of working within a highly  
competitive corporate culture. She will do an excellent job of  
helping to build relationships between communities that have a common  
interest in promoting vibrant cultural production and exchange."


About Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001,  
that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works,  
whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright  
licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and  
educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms  
that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional  
copyright to enable a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach.  
Creative Commons is sustained by the generous support of  
organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur  
Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the  
Rockefeller Foundation, as well as members of the public. For more  
information about Creative Commons, visit http://creativecommons.org.

Contact
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
eric AT creativecommons.org

Press Kit
http://creativecommons.org/presskit