Creative Commons

In embracing the concepts of liberty and freedom, the Caucus is proud to present all publications of September 2008 and onwards will be published under a Canadian Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License. This implies that all of our writers have granted permission for their works to be redistributed as in to copy, distribute and transmit, remix as in adapt, all at zero license cost. You do not howver have the rights to the use such works for commerical gain, to provide adaquate attribution, or redistribute this work under a different creative license.

As the Caucus is a growing publication, we are enthusiastic to know that our work is reaching outside of our physical geography. To reach our writers regarding publication questions, you may either contact the writers directly via their supplied email addresses, or contact caucus@ecaucus.ca

For more information about what a Creative Commons license is, please visit http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions. 

How does a Creative Commons license operate?

A Creative Commons license is based on copyright. So they apply to all works that are protected by copyright law. The kinds of works that are protected by copyright law are books, websites, blogs, photographs, films, videos, songs and other audio & visual recordings, for example. Software programs are also protected by copyright but, as explained below, we do not recommend that you apply a Creative Commons license to software code.

Creative Commons licenses give you the ability to dictate how others may exercise your copyright rights—such as the right of others to copy your work, make derivative works or adaptations of your work, to distribute your work and/or make money from your work. They do not give you the ability to restrict anything that is otherwise permitted by exceptions or limitations to copyright—including, importantly, fair use or fair dealing—nor do they give you the ability to control anything that is not protected by copyright law, such as facts and ideas.

Creative Commons licenses attach to the work and authorize everyone who comes in contact with the work to use it consistent with the license. This means that if Bob has a copy of your Creative Commons-licensed work, Bob can give a copy to Carol and Carol will be authorized to use the work consistent with the Creative Commons license. You then have a license agreement separately with both Bob and Carol.
 

Is Creative Commons against copyright?

Not at all. Our licenses help you retain your copyright and manage your copyright in a more flexible, open way. In fact, our licenses rely upon copyright for their enforcement. The justification for intellectual property protection (under U.S. law, at least) is the "promot[ion of] the progress of science and the useful arts." We want to promote science and the useful arts, too, and believe that helping creators or licensors fine-tune the exercise of their rights to suit their preferences helps do just that.
 

Will works that use Creative Commons licenses be in the "public domain"?

No, because the licensor does not give up all rights to his or her work. The Creative Commons licenses are only copyright licenses that enable you to control how other people use your work.

If you want to put your work in the public domain -- the realm of creative material unfettered by copyright law – you can use our Public Domain Dedication. By dedicating your work to the public domain, you are effectively relinquishing all copyright interests you may otherwise have in the work. However, this waiver may not be valid outside of the US.
 

I love what Creative Commons does. How can I help?

We would be very grateful for your help. You are welcome to support Creative Commons Corporation by making a donation at our Support page. In exchange for your donation, you'll receive a variety of items, depending on level. Donations and shipping addresses are handled by Paypal.

You can also give us feedback directly at info@creativecommons.org. Alternately, you can participate in our email discussion lists.