Creative Commons NZ

Creative Commons NZ

Forgive me - but I have been waiting quite a while to be able to post that New Zealand now has its very own Creative Commons framework. The formal launch is on the 27th October. On that date, you can go to the local Creative Commons web site, click on 'get a licence', then head of to the page which lists the different country jurisdictions - one of which will be New Zealand. After two clicks you are sorted. Sounds easy - and it is - but getting there has taken nearly two years!

What's the fuss?
As some people know, and hopefully many others will soon find out, the Creative Commons framework is a web based tool to give your digital online intellectual property [photo - music, video, image, art work et al] a protection beyond the normal analogue version of copyright, which essentially restricts itself to - yes you can use my stuff - no you can't.

Expanding the copyright conversation

In contrast, the Creative Commons framework is premised on the notion that on the web, life is rarely that simple. So it extends the conversation by asking a few sensible questions. Like do you want to share this work? If you do, what are the conditions you want to impose on it? Can other people use it? Do they need to attribute you as the creator? Can they use it in a mash up? Can they use it commercially?. Or do they need to come and talk to you about that?.

Formal Legal Protection

Once answered the site points to a series of different licences, each of which has a different logo or digital mark whose job is to capture your intentions and show them to the world at large.

Once you have chosen the one for you, you take the digital mark or image and put it on the web site which hosts your creative output. When people click on that they are sent to a formal legal licence which incorporates your intention in a legal instrument which is applicable to the new Zealand jurisdiction. In short, a real singing dancing legal protection.

Humanities Network / National Library

Clearly what kind of licence would work for you needs a bit more explaining, which is why the Humanities Network, in partnership with the New Zealand National Library , which has been leading the project to get a New Zealand Creative Commons framework, are organising a series of regional workshops to demonstrate and explain how it all works.

The Humanites network are looking for local regional organisations to host these regional seminars. If you fancy doing that, I'd be happy to pass it on.

But first of all - there is the big Wellington based national launch and seminar. I promised to put the details up on here - so here they are.

Expanding Copyright Horizons

Creative Commons Seminar 27 October 2007
The Creative Commons Seminar on Saturday 27 October (full day held at the National Library, Wellington) is your opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the Creative Commons approach to copyright licensing.

If you’re in the creative, cultural, scientific or educational space, are interested in securing a return on your creative investment and marking your work with the freedoms and access you want it to carry, then this seminar is for you.

It’s also for people who have an interest or involvement in copyright and the direction the new open content licensing is taking.

The free programme includes guest speaker Dr Anne Fitzgerald, Brisbane-based intellectual property and e-commerce lawyer and Adjunct Professor at the School of Law, Queensland University of Technology.

As well as initiating Australia’s Going Digital series of seminars and publications, Anne has written and presented extensively on legal aspects of e-commerce, multimedia and the Internet.

The event will also include industry & research sector workshops, led by New Zealand experts, to discuss specific issues, uses and concerns.

Register your interest now to anna.duckworth@natlib.govt.nz and to assist with planning please provide details of your sector & area of interest e.g. creative, research, education, government, legal etc.