Free Cultural Works Definition
A diverse group of writers has released the first version of the "Definition of Free Cultural Works." The authors have identified a minimum set of freedoms which they believe should be granted to all users of copyrighted materials.
Definition
The definition lists the following core freedoms:
- The freedom to use and perform the work
- The freedom to study the work and apply the information
- The freedom to redistribute copies
- The freedom to distribute derivative works.
Inspired by the Free Software Definition and the ideals of the free software and open source movements, these conditions are meant to apply to any conceivable work. In reality, these freedoms must be granted explicitly by authors, through the use of licenses which confer them.
On the website of the definition, [1], a list of
these licenses can be found. Furthermore, authors are encouraged to
identify their works as Free Cultural Works using a set of logos and
buttons.
The definition was initiated by Benjamin Mako Hill, a Debian GNU/Linux developer, and Erik Mِiller, an author and long-time Wikipedia user.
Mِller and Hill encourage authors to rethink copyright law and use one of the Free Culture Licenses to help build a genuine free and open culture.
More Information
- http://freedomdefined.org/ - Official homepage of the definition
- http://freedomdefined.org/Licenses - Information about specific
licenses
- http://freedomdefined.org/Logos_and_buttons - Logos and buttons for
identifying free cultural works
Contact
- Erik Miِller - eloquence (at) gmail (dot) com - +49-30-45491008
- Benjamin Mako Hill - mako (at) atdot (dot) cc