Open Content Licensing for Open Source Developers

Jessica CoatesProject Manager - Creative Commons Clinic

Queensland University of Technology

SLUDOctober 2008

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CRICOS No. 00213J

Code v content

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Open Art Museum by el_aguacil under CC Attribution v2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/12388825@N06/1444349332/

…music, script, lyrics, art, sound recording, film…

OS v OC

• Open Source (OS) ≠ Open Content (OC)

• The text of most OS licences (including GPL and BSD) restricts them specifically to the source code

• Therefore content in an OS game needs its own licence

• Many OS licences (including GPL) are not appropriate/practical for content

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Doom/Quake

• Source code (ID Engine) available under GPL, as part of Linux compatibility

• Content not licensed – still full copyright and trademarked

• Can: modify game; use code to create new game with different look

• Can’t: distribute game; take screen shots; create machinima; create fan work

• So assists the programming community, but people still have to buy the game

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Microsoft X-Boxhttp://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/developer/rules.htm

• Code under full copyright• Content under EULA that looks like a

limited Creative Commons BY-NC-SA • Can: create machinima; take

screenshots; create fan works• Can’t: modify game; distribute; use

sounds• Intended to allow for Machinima

creation, fan fiction etc.• Revocable at any time for any reason

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Yo Frankie!

• Blender-based game still in beta• Code under GPL• Content under Creative Commons Attribution• Can: make new games; distribute; make machinima; take

screenshots• Intended to provide assistance to OS community, education,

research, explore new business models

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Why OC license content?

• Clarity – remove any uncertainty as to rights

• Practicality – allows people to distribute etc whole product, not just code

• Business – exploit new business models based on distribution

• Collaboration and innovation – user generated content, machinima etc.

• Principle – sharing is good (for your players and your pocket)

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Which OC licence?

• Ease of compliance?

• Appropriateness for content?

• CC licences endorsed by FSF and Debian (some)

• Compatibility?

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GFDL BY-SA

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GNU

Enter Creative Commons

Aims to make content more freely available by providing free licences that creators can use to give permission in advance

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Licences

4 licence elements:

Attribution – attribute the author

Noncommercial – no commercial use

No Derivative Works – no remixing

ShareAlike – remix only if you let others remix

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Attribution-ShareAlike

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives

Licences

Attribution

Attribution-NonCommercial

Attribution-NoDerivatives

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creators mix and match these elements to make a licence:

Licences

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Licences

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part of the Creative Commons international initiativeCRICOS No. 00213J

Finding CC material

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Using CC

• Can be source of material, or tool for licensing own material

• Place button/attribution in credits, on CD cover, on website

• Don’t forget to say what you’re licensing

• Don’t forget metadata

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Before using CC material

• Check that you’re following the licence (ask for extra permission if needed)

• Do you need any extra rights?

• DRM?

• Make sure your use isn’t ‘derogatory’

• Use common sense

• Don’t forget to attribute

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Before using CC licences

• Do you have the rights to license the material?

• Do you need extra rights yourself?

• Non-revocable, worldwide?

• Are you choosing the right licence?

• Don’t use CC for code – GPL

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Thanks

http://www.creativecommons.org

http://www.creativecommons.org.au

info@creativecommons.org.au

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This slide show is licensed under a Creative Commons Australia Attribution licence. For more information see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/.