Creative Commons

Now is the time to vote for programming at SXSW 2026! From now until August 24, help shape the conference by reviewing session proposals online and voting for your favorite presentations, panels, discussions, demonstrations, and more. CC has submitted two panel proposals for consideration: Rewriting the Social Contract: AI & the Future of Knowledge This panel explores the backlash against AI training, the risk to open knowledge, and the need for new norms that protect human rights, creativity, and agency. Panelists include: Anna Tumadóttir, Kayvan Ghaffari, Lisa Watts, and Simon Hudson. Learn more and vote for it here https://lnkd.in/eV6KXRqm. 25 Years of Creative Commons: Insights & Reflections This panel reflects on CC’s legacy and explores the future of openness, including how legal, technical, and social frameworks can support knowledge sharing, open infrastructure, and creativity in a world increasingly defined by automation and uncertainty. Panelists include: Anna Tumadóttir, Lane Becker, and Lawrence Lessig. Learn more and vote for it here: https://lnkd.in/e54btD2n. To cast your vote for these panels, create an account or sign in at https://lnkd.in/dtgRe7V4. Once logged in, click on the links for the panels above and tap on the heart icon if you think they should be accepted for #SXSW 2026.

As the role of libraries continues to evolve and expand in the fast-changing information climate, expertise in open licensing is a critical asset for the modern librarian. Over 10 weeks, participants of our CC Certificate for Librarians will get a crash course in open licensing, copyright, public domain, and open access practices 👏. Learn more and register for the September 29-December 7 session: https://lnkd.in/e_FD8Vfi New York Public Library opened May 23rd 1911 by Jim Griffin is marked with CC0 1.0

What does influence the chosen intellectual property management policy in European museums? In a study we conducted together with Anna Pluszyńska, Konrad Gliściński and Anna Kościelna under the Critical Heritage Studies Hub we looked at legal, economic, and social factors impacting these choices. We talked to 20 European heritage professionals to better undertand their institution’s approach to IP. The study results indicate that it’s not the regulations or finances, but the human factor that particularly plays a relevant role in how museums approach IP management. It’s the mindset, individual values and organisational dynamics that greatly shape how museums tackle reuse and risk regarding collection management. We put our findings in a report that just got published. ‘Human factor in European museums’ intellectual property management through sociocultural, legal, political and economic determinants’ is now out and we are eager to hear your thoughts and keep the discussion on IP management in CHIs going. 📖 https://lnkd.in/deAauxm5 Fundacja Centrum Cyfrowe Europeana NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations Creative Commons TAROCH Coalition Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Kraków Europa Nostra Uniwersytet Jagielloński (Jagiellonian University) #intellectualproperty #management #museums

🎯 New Publication Alert 🎯 Excited to share our latest article published in Museum Management and Curatorship: 📘 “Human factor in European museums’ intellectual property management through sociocultural, legal, political and economic determinants” By: Anna Pluszyńska, Maria Drabczyk, Konrad Gliściński, and Anna Kościelna 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gFjc5Kuh 📍 What shapes how museums across Europe manage intellectual property? While legislation and institutional frameworks matter, our research shows one factor stands out: people. Through interviews with 20 museums and umbrella organisations across Europe, we explored how staff mindsets, internal culture, and organisational capabilities influence whether institutions choose openness, caution, or creative risk-taking in IP management. 💡 Key insights: IP policies aren’t just legal—they’re strategic and human-driven. Museums juggle ethical responsibilities with financial and legal pressures. Institutional openness depends heavily on internal knowledge, training, and leadership attitude. There’s a critical need for clearer, more supportive legal frameworks to empower cultural access in the digital age. This study addresses a key gap in our understanding of IP governance in cultural institutions—one rooted not only in law and economics but in motivation, trust, and public mission. 📣 We hope this sparks more conversations about building sustainable, human-centred IP strategies for the museum sector. #OpenCulture #IPR #Museums #CulturalHeritage #DigitalTransformation #Copyright #MuseumManagement #CulturalPolicy #MuseumStudies #Research Brigitte Vézina COMMUNIA Europeana NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations inDICEs Project Ariadna Matas Casadevall Creative Commons KnowledgeRights21 Giulia Dore Maria Della Lucia Julia Pagel

On August 7 at 3:45 p.m. EAT, Jennryn Wetzler, our Director of Learning and Training and Brigitte Vézina, our Director of Policy and Open Culture will lead a workshop during Wikimania 2025 titled “Give Me A Beat! Creative Commons Licensing and Ethical Considerations for Cultural Heritage Collections.” The session will include an overview of the CC Certificate for Open Culture, a professional development course that builds expertise in open licensing and open practices for cultural heritage professionals. Participants will also engage in an interactive exercise to curate and create music by syncing drum beats to public domain music. This exercise will spark discussion around the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations of copyright and stewardship of digitized cultural works. Register: https://lnkd.in/e_BPngWq

A lack of access to cultural, artistic, and scientific knowledge stifles creativity and progress, ultimately hindering our collective growth and understanding of the universe. Geography or economic circumstances should never restrict someone's learning journey. The Internet Archive Europe aims to defend the rights of memory institutions to protect public access to knowledge through their campaign, “Our Future Memory.” As stated in their Statement on Digital Rights for Protecting Memory Institutions Online, memory institutions must have the right and ability to: 1. Collect materials in digital form 2. Preserve digital materials 3. Provide controlled access to digital materials 4. Cooperate with other memory institutions We’re proud to endorse their Statement. Read it in full and consider urging your organization to sign it: https://lnkd.in/ebNttErn

In 2019, UNESCO member states took a bold step by adopting the UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Recommendation! This decision gives national governments a list of recommendations to foster open education and collaborate across borders 🌐. Key objectives include: 🏗️ Building the capacity of stakeholders to create, access, reuse, adapt, and redistribute OER 🤲 Developing supportive policy 👏 Encouraging inclusive and equitable quality OER 🌿 Nurturing the creation of sustainability models for OER 🌏 Facilitating international cooperation What does this have to do with CC? Our open licenses and public domain tools help provide different options for opening up your educational resources. With clear, standard legal permissions, CC-licensed content can be reused globally, encouraging widespread OER reuse. We know that navigating the world of open can be overwhelming if you’re not familiar with it. That’s why we’ve compiled some valuable resources to improve your understanding of OER, our organization, and CC licenses, as well as how to utilize these licenses according to the 2019 UNESCO Recommendation on OER. Explore these tools here: https://buff.ly/54DbZuX

In collaboration with Colin J. Carlson, Timothée Poisot, Alexandra Phelan, and Nithin Ramakrishnan, Monica Granados, our Director of Open Science, contributed to a new publication titled “The LISTEN Principles for Genetic Sequence Data Governance and Database Engineering”, which has been published in Nature Portfolio Genetics. We’re pleased to have contributed to this critical work! Learn more about the report below and read the preprint version here: https://lnkd.in/e8APwgxn

We're looking to fill two open positions at CC! We're hiring for a new Development Manager and a new Communications Manager. Links to job postings in the comments. 💫 Now is an especially exciting time to join the CC team - particularly in development and communications - as we create new tools for sharing in the age of AI and look ahead to celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2026. Please share with anyone in your networks who may be interested! #hiring #DevelopmentManager #CommunicationsManager https://lnkd.in/eiDrG3QV

Our team is taking a well-deserved break next week. ☀️ We’ll be back on Monday, July 28 to respond to all emails and messages. Chat soon! Image: At the Seaside by William Merritt Chase. Public Domain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.