Monthly Archives: July 2005

25 July 2005

MEDIA RELEASE
for immediate release

Young writers who publish their work via youth website Vibewire.net can now protect – or share – their words with Creative Commons copyright licences.

The Creative Commons movement provides a new way of thinking about copyright management in a digital age and is part of a world-wide project being led in Australia by Queensland University of Technology’s Head of Law, Professor Brian Fitzgerald.

Creative Commons licences give creators the option to allow certain uses of their digital content without the need for internet users to contact them for permission.

They can effectively stamp their work with a basic “CC” licence rather than the more restrictive, all rights reserved, “C” copyright symbol.

On Vibewire.net, contributors will have the option to click on one of four online CC licences:

* Attribution – others must credit the orginal creator
* Non-Commercial – others may not use the work for commercial purposes
* No Derivative Works – others may not alter, transform or build upon the work
* Share Alike – others may alter, transform or build upon the work but they must share improvements with the broader community or commons

Professor Fitzgerald said Vibewire was now part of a growing international CC community, where artists and authors could decide whether to allow their work to be amended or used commercially.

“There is a world wide movement towards open access knowledge, especially in the non-commercial sector,” he said.

“The CC symbol gives generic permission in advance and allows users to immediately know exactly what right they have to reproduce, communicate, cut, paste, or remix.”

Professor Fitzgerald said Vibewire was a leading and integral part of youth publishing and that their adoption of CC licences was an important part of making CC a reality in Australia.

“It is particularly pleasing to see that the youth of this country will lead the way in showing how publishing in the internet world can and has changed in the 21st century,” he said.
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From 6 September 2005, PBS will make available a 13-part series of one hour shows, featuring PBS technology columnist and industry insider Robert X. Cringely’s interviews with personalities from the ever-changing world of technology. The shows will be available exclusively on the Internet at (http://www.pbs.org/nerdtv), under a Creative Commons licence.

From the [article](http://www.pbs.org/cringely/nerdtv/):

> Said Cringely, “NerdTV will have an uninterrupted hour with the smartest, funniest and sometimes nerdiest people in high tech. These are people who have changed our lives whether we know it or not. Through NerdTV a broad audience of enthusiasts and students will gain a much greater understanding of these techies and the context of their lives and work.” Cringely is the author of the best-selling book Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can’t Get a Date.

> Cindy Johanson, Senior Vice President, PBS Interactive Learning, said, “Over the past ten years, PBS and its member stations have led the way with some of the most innovative, meaningful multimedia experiences available. Bob Cringely’s NerdTV illustrates our unwavering commitment to bring audiences clever, on-demand, participatory programming.” She added, “This ground-breaking series will be distributed under a Creative Commons license, so if viewers like what they see, they can redistribute the shows or even edit their own non-commercial version. Further, NerdTV offers a cost-effective production model that may transform how programming is made in the future.”

> Viewers will be able to choose which content or format they download to their computer: MP4 video of the whole program, MP4 video of the “juicy” excerpt (for a more general audience wanting just a nugget) and MP4 video of the “nerdy” excerpt (for a more technical audience wanting just a nugget). In addition, a variety of audio-only formats will be available, including AAC, MP3 and ogg vorbis.

> Cringely noted, “With more than half of American homes with Internet access now using broadband, computer video – especially downloaded computer video – has become a viable but still little-used option for TV distribution. The strength of this new medium can be found in how it serves niche audiences. This is where Internet distribution shines.”

Thanks to [Neeru](http://creativecommons.org/about/people#16) for the link.

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