Introduction to Creative Commons
Creative Commons Licenses offer an alternative to the "All Rights Reserved" model of intellectual property that is created by default when a work is expressed (and thus falls under copyright law). The copyright holder can choose to publish their materials under Creative Commons licensing to increase its usage (and some would argue that this increases its value), to allow for collaboration with other content creators, and/or to meet aspirational goals of contributing to the "greater good" of society.
Explanation of Creative Commons License Elements
From YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTlXtEOplA
Creative Commons Licensing
Finding Openly Licensed Material
- Search for Creative Commons materials
Find Creative Commons-licensed work to incorporate into your courses / online materials
- Flickr Commons
Flickr Commons is a collaborative project that allows cultural heritage organizations, such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and several dozen other museums and archives, to make their materials more easily discovered. Through the Flickr Commons, those organizations get direct feedback from the public about their materials, as well. All images are published with "no known copyright" restrictions and are part of the public domain.
- Morguefile
Contains free high resolution digital stock photographs and reference images for either corporate or public use. The site's purpose is to provide free image reference material for illustrators, comic book artist, designers, teachers and all creative pursuits. The current license allows for use and remixing without attribution, but prohibits you from selling the images or claiming ownership.
- Jamendo
Openly licensed music
30 Second Introduction to Creative Commons
From YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xVKqDqYS0U