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  • From: "Dorothy K. Gordon" <director-general AT aiti-kace.com.gh>
  • To: DigAfrica <DigAfrica AT yahoogroups.com>, GINKS <ginks AT dgroups.org>, FOSSFA MEMBERS <members AT mail.fossfa.net>, fossfa-members <fossfa-members AT fossfa.net>, CC Africa mailing list <ccafrica AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ccAfrica] Creative Commons licensing and Wattpad
  • Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 16:13:34 +0000 (GMT)



‘Open stories’ now available on Wattpad for creators and remixers worldwide
Wattpad rolls out Creative Commons 4.0 licensing options to 30 million people

Toronto, Canada - July 21, 2014 - Wattpad, the world’s largest community of
readers and writers, has upgraded to Creative Commons (CC) 4.0 licensing
options to give creators around the world the ability to search millions of
stories to remix and reimagine. It is the largest implementation of CC 4.0 by
a social media platform.

Copyright has long been a hot-button issue for writers. As the nature of
storytelling evolves to become more social and interactive, many writers want
to share their stories without restrictions. They actively encourage reader
participation and the creation of fan art. On Wattpad, fans remix work, write
fan fiction, translate Wattpad stories into other languages, and make
anything from story trailers to story covers for their favorite writers.

Wattpad stories using CC 4.0 licensing options will be tagged and searchable
by anyone in the world. To-date more than 300,000 stories are shared under a
CC licensing option on Wattpad. With the integration of CC 4.0, the global
Wattpad community has improved licensing options that are internationally
recognized. These options respect the desire of Wattpadders to remain
anonymous (if they choose), without restricting creativity of others.

“The biggest question facing new writers today isn't how to protect their
work; it's how to find a readership for it, said Cory Doctorow, science
fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger. “It makes complete sense
that so many Wattpad writers are gravitating toward Creative Commons
licenses: by giving others permission to share your writing, you can open
doors to new audiences and new creative opportunities.” Cory Doctorow has
shared five stories on Wattpad under CC licenses, including New York Times
best-selling novels Homeland and Little Brother. Today, to coincide with the
roll out of CC 4.0, he will share his first novel Down and Out in the Magic
Kingdom on Wattpad.

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use
of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. The Creative Commons
licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to
share and use creative work — on conditions of the creator’s choice.

"All knowledge and culture owes something to what came before it -- it's this
public commons of ideas that forms the foundation of our society,” said
Creative Commons CEO Ryan Merkley. “I'm excited that the Wattpad community
will have Creative Commons' simple, free tools to share their work, to re-use
the works of others, and to contribute to the global creative community."

“From day one Wattpad has been about self-expression and creativity. With the
integration of CC 4.0 creators from around the world will be able to search
millions of stories on Wattpad and use them for their own artistic pursuits,”
said Co-founder and CEO of Wattpad Allen Lau. “Licensing creative works under
CC 4.0 makes total sense in today’s remixing culture.”


###

About Wattpad
More than 30 million people have joined Wattpad, making it the world’s
largest community of readers and writers. People use Wattpad to connect with
each other while they discover and share millions of free stories. Wattpad
stories are available in more than 50 languages and can be read or written
from any phone, tablet, or computer. The company is proudly based in Toronto,
Canada. Learn more at www.wattpad.com.

Dorothy K. Gordon
Director-General
Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT
Mobile: 233 265005712
Direct Line: 233 302 683579
Website: www.aiti-kace.com.gh
Encrypt Everything - https://gpgtools.org https://silentcircle.com



  • [ccAfrica] Creative Commons licensing and Wattpad, Dorothy K. Gordon, 07/21/2014

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