Some rights Reserved.

FAIR use (Copyright); LESSIG, Lawrence, 1961-; INTELLECTUAL property; COPYRIGHT infringement; CREATIVE Commons (Organization); INTERNET laws

Stanford Law School professor Lawrence Lessig decried the threat to the Internet from both large media interests and burgeoning intellectual-property laws. In Lessig's view, the Internet should serve as a commons, a medium that encourages creativity through the exchange of photographs, music, literature, academic treatises, even entire course curricula. On December 16, 2002, the nonprofit Creative Commons opened its digital doors to provide, without charge, a series of licenses that enable a copyrighted work to be shared more easily. The licenses issued through Creative Commons have allowed the creator of a work to retain the copyright while stipulating that only some rights are reserved. A copyright owner can fill out a simple questionnaire posted on the Creative Commons Web site and get an electronic copy of a license.