Title: Open Licensing and Creative Commons

*Updated: September 2024
Learning Objectives:

- Describe the nature of open licensing systems
- Provide an overview of the GNU Public License and the Creative Commons license systems
- Explain how open licences can be used to improve the visibility and impact of copyright-protected works

Open licences:

Q: Open licences:
- Allow copyright holders to easily communicate the terms of use of their works (correct)
- Remove all rights from the copyright holder
- Allow the copyright holder to transfer copyright of a work to the user
- Add further protection to existing copyright law

Open licensing systems are beneficial to the user because:

Q: Open licensing systems are beneficial to the user because:
- They help users understand the terms and conditions for the use of a work (correct)
- They allow users to do whatever they want with a work
- They protect the user from legal action by the creator
- They encourage users to create their own, derivative works

The first major open licensing system was created by:

Q: The first major open licensing system was created by:
- Richard Stallman (correct)
- Lawrence Lessig
- Woody Guthrie
- The Government of Canada

A key figure in the creation of Creative Commons was:

Q: A key figure in the creation of Creative Commons was:
- Lawrence Lessig (correct)
- Richard Stallman
- The Government of Canada
- Woody Guthrie

Richard Stallman views freedom as “free as in free speech, not free beer,” meaning:

Q: Richard Stallman views freedom as “free as in free speech, not free beer,” meaning:
- Freedom in terms of liberty, not cost (correct)
- Open licensing systems must promote free speech
- Freedom in terms of cost, not liberty
- Open licensing systems cannot be applied to recipes, e.g., craft beer recipes

Open licences allow creators to add their works to:

Q: Open licences allow creators to add their works to:
- The intellectual commons (correct)
- The universe of created works
- The military industrial complex
- The United States Copyright Registry

Choose the correct statement.

Credits: Open Licensing and Creative Commons; by University of Alberta; 2020; licence CC BY 4.0