Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Creative Commons License - a simple way to copyright

I have finally taken the plunge and will be adding this symbol to my sidebar. It is a very simple way for bloggers and web-owners to protect things like photos and works, while allowing others to freely copy and distribute. There are several varieties of these licenses and they are free. It is simply making a statement about what you can or cannot do with content found here.




    My license works this way (indented text is from the Creative Commons website)

    The first symbol stands for Creative Commons.

    The second symbol means:



      The licensor permits others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work. In return, licensees may not use the work for commercial purposes — unless they get the licensor's permission.

    In other words, it's ok to show my photos on your blog, for example, but if someone wants to use them for commercial purposes they need to contact me. Professionals already know this and I have been contacted several times for permission to use the photos in various mediums. If photos other than mine are sought, which are posted, I will offer to put those seeking their use in touch with the respective parties. I can be reached at TeDeumBlog@aol.com .

    To use any of my content on your blog or website, kindly provide a link back to the post it came from or the homepage of my blog. The link may be found by clicking the timestamp at the bottom of the respective post.


    The last symbol means:


      No Derivative Works. The licensor permits others to copy, distribute, display and perform only unaltered copies of the work — not derivative works based on it.

    In plain English, you can't morph or tinker with my photos, put someone else's head on another person's body, and then re-use them elsewhere. However, you can ask me for permission to do these things, within reason.

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