Creative Commons Licences are they right for for you?

This article provides an introduction to the use of the Creative Commons licence system and sets it in a historical, economic and political context. It is written from the perspective of involvement in open educational projects in an Arts university that has used the licences. A description of the fundamental features of the licences and their uses is given together with an outline of how the Creative Commons organisation works and its strategic aims. An assessment of the usefulness of the licences is provided together with a description of the challenges faced in dealing with low levels of legal awareness amongst academics. Practical advice and sources of further information and guidance are offered to help readers implement the licences locally.

Introduction

This report provides an analysis and overview of the Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/) licensing system in use at the University of the Art London, which is involved in open education resource projects funded by JISC. For more information about the projects please visit this website http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/alto/about/. It is a funding condition of these projects that the outputs are issued under a Creative Commons licence or a licence that is similar. This is part of a growing trend where funders of education and research are demanding that the products of that funding are made openly available for the good of society as a whole. The Wellcome medical research trust is another example of a funding organisation that expects outputs to be made openly available. This report also doubles up as a training and awareness raising resource for academic and support staff at the UAL and elsewhere. It is a good place to start if you are contemplating sharing your learning resources and are not familiar with the Creative Commons licence system.