From: Lawrence Lessig
Date: November 23, 2005 14:37:41 EST
To: cc-lessigletter@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [cc-lessigletter] CC in Review: Lawrence Lessig on CC Licenses

[This email is part of a weekly series written by Lawrence Lessig and others about the history and future of Creative Commons.]

Today we announce a project to make that message clearer. Over the next six months, we will be developing a new feature with some Creative Commons licenses to enable creators to add links to permit users to commercially exploit their works.

We call this project “cc.com,” and while the details are still being hammered out, here’s the basic idea: Let’s imagine you’re a musician who is happy to have your music shared noncommercially. But, like
most, if someone is going to make a profit from your work, you want a piece of that pie. So while you’ll allow members of the public to use your work noncommercially under a Creative Commons license, you reserve the commercial rights. But you’d also be very happy to offer the commercial rights to others on certain terms.

Here’s how cc.com might work. You come to the Creative Commons site and select your Creative Commons license. If you select a license with a NonCommercial license element, then we’ll give you the choice of partners who might be able to offer your work commercially. (Alternatively, you could simply specify a link back to yourself for any commercial licensing.)

If you select a partner, the system would pass you through a partner site to enable you to specify the commercial terms associated with your content. That information would be added back to the Creative Commons license as a link to the partner site. Your Commons Deed could then look something like this:

cc.com Commons Deed mockup.

Like TV but bored of American content? Like the CBC but turned-off by the lockout? Imagine your favourite comedians without the inhibitions of a global media distribution infrastructure. Rocket Ace Moving Pictures is an innovative digital media group out of Toronto that is exploiting the power of the Podcast to give you TV on your terms. A video Podcast can distribute shows without being impaired by the size of the studio. Their first hit Dead End Days proved it was possible. Their newest project, Cerealized: Part of your unbalanced breakfast, is posted every Monday at 3AM EST. The website describes this ongoing project as:

Part character study, part social satire, and part poignant reflection on our own daily grind, this ambitious live-action comedy chronicles the weekly trials and tribulations of three average twentysomethings as they stumble through life wearing sensible footwear. Join Rocket Ace every Monday morning for Cerealized, now part of your unbalanced breakfast.

To promote their work they’ve licensed the show under a Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Canada licence. They’ve also posted a version locally and answered some FAQ about use. Have a look at Episode 4 of Cerealized and feel free to make it part of your weekly diet

With video podcasts and Creative Commons, prime time is ANY TIME