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General Discussion: What License Do You Use and Why?

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  1. johanmw Aug 16th 2008
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    Yeah, i guess the topic says it all.
    What kind of licenses do you use for your work, and why?

    Personally, it differs from copyright to a Creative commons license.
    For all of my photos i use the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license, because i think the copyright license has been overused. Sure, the copyright license has it's advantages, but i think you have to choose what license to use in every situation. It'll be a lot easier for people to be creative, if we were all open about our work.
    Of course, people shouldn't steal others work, but that's exactly why licenses like the creative commons has been started.

    I'm looking forward to reading your answers :)
  2. Jana Aug 16th 2008
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    Creative commons license and don't ask me why, because I still don't really know if there is any good from it or which one I need
  3. Fredrik Aug 16th 2008
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    Personally I only use a standard copyright license. The majority of the people seem to think that a "Creative Common" license equals "Okay to do whatever I want with" more or less. I've seen so many peoples work being used in advertisements or in other ways that weren't allowed by their CC license - but they all got the answer "Oh, I thought it was an free/open license" or such. Sure, people have stolen/misused my photos as well, but at least they can't claim the misunderstood the license.

    In the end, it doesn't matter what license you choose if you're afraid of others misusing your work. There is no easy way to claim the right over your photos/design, it's almost impossible for the creator to come out victorious after a copyright battle - that's just the way it is. The best way to prevent others from misusing your work is to not upload large versions of it. On my site I use a rather small size (500x333px) for my photos, sure my visitors would most likely want to see larger sizes but I'm just too tired of all the people taking and using my photos. I have a portfolio with 30x20cm high quality prints to show potential clients, so in the end it works out okay.
  4. MikeWilson Aug 16th 2008
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    Is a creative commons license even legally binding?
  5. Jana Aug 17th 2008
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    "standard copyright license" whatever that is?!
    Can someone please explain all this license thing anyway?
  6. Fredrik Aug 17th 2008
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    The whole business with copyright and licenses is very complex and I don't know much about it at all. Every country have their own copyright laws and problems can easily occur when it's international issues (person A and person B live in different countries).

    What I meant with "standard copyright" is to simply add the text "Copyright © YEAR, YOUR NAME" below an image or such. Many still use the phrase (including more or less every major company in the US) "All Rights Reserved" - this is a phrase that has no legal ground anymore, but it's still used on a daily basis.

    The whole copyright issue is a mess, and there's only so much you as an individual can do.
  7. MikeWilson Aug 17th 2008 edited
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    Problem is even when you create your own work - anyone can take and really have no legal repercussions as long as that person didn't spend the money to make sure that their work was not stolen. The internet really has no central moderation - but I think anything you post on your own website should be yours by law. On other sites.. well that's in there End User.
  8. agent2693 Aug 18th 2008
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    @Mike - As I understand it, Creative Commons is relatively substantial in a courtroom. Of course, as CC grows it would become more readily recognizable, but as it is now, you own your work as soon as you create it. Not once you register it with a copyright office. A copyright office, as well as a CC license, are all ways for you to help moderate how your work is used (which is the essence of copyright law anyway...artists dictating how their work is used).

    That being said, the real problem is in application (as in most things). You may take a photo, and at that moment own the copyright, but if you didn't register that photo with a copyright office, a jury has no reason to believe you over the guy who stole it from you.

    A CC license, practically speaking, is less of a legally binding document like a release form, and more similar to a "Take One" sign next to a bowl of Halloween candy. Copyright law, by default, says that you have to have permission to use a work. But if you want to let your photo be used freely, without having to tell each person that asks, then you can attach a CC license.

    But like Fredrik said, if it's important work to you, and you don't want it to be used improperly, I wouldn't bother with a CC. It'll cause more problems than it solves.
  9. johanmw Aug 18th 2008
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    Agent:

    I would say that a CC license is as legally binding as a copyright license. I mean, the CC people let you pick a license you like, and put together the legal documents for you, to use in an event where you need it (e.g. if someone use your work for commercial use, and you've licensed it with a non-commercial license.)

    Creative Commons has a lot of information about their licenses on their website: http://creativecommons.org/

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