Publishing with Creative Commons

A call for use of an alternate copyright for researchers and authors in the Society for Creative Anachronism

by Brother Conchobar mac Gabhann, CSO

One of the most difficult things to work around in the SCA, with regards to documentation, class notes, research notes, photographs etc.… is the topic of copyright. As an organization dedicated to education and the dissemination of knowledge, we all stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us; and build upon what they have done in the pursuit of our arts, crafts, sciences and recreations.

Whenever something is created; be it written (as in the case of this document), created (as in the case of an illuminated award document), performed, photographed, and so forth, the copyright falls to the original creator(s). Legally, unless the author of the original work specifically allows use, nobody else is entitled to use it, barring some very specific uses and only then in small part-- usually for reviews and brief excerpts. Occasionally, it becomes difficult to contact the creator in order to obtain permission to use their works in greater part. Fortunately, there is a way that the creators can make it easier to allow others to use their works.

Historically, Copyright has been an all-or-nothing proposition. Either the creator retained all rights, or they could retain no rights with regards to distribution, performance, display, etc. For many people, this is perfectly fine. Some people want to and should retain complete and total control over their works. However, this doesn’t work if you want to allow other people to use your work with certain conditions.

This is where the Creative Commons License comes in to play. With the Creative Commons license; authors, composers, musicians, artists, or any other creative person still retain legal copyright, but are able to allow others to use their works without express permission. For example, this document is released under a Creative Commons License, with the conditions of “Attribution, noncommercial, and No Derivative Works” What this means is that anyone is free to re-publish this work, provided that I am credited as the author, no monetary gain is made, and no changes are made to the work. If you follow the website ad the end of the document, you will see the “human readable” copy of the Creative Commons License Deed, which explains the license and restrictions in a form that mere mortals can read. There is a “legal-speak” version of the license from the Deed page, as well, for a full and legal definition of precisely what the deed means. In addition to the conditions set forth for this work, there are several others available also. All of these can be used in various combinations, allowing a good deal of flexibility. Any of the conditions can be waived by the creator, if they so choose.

If authors in the SCA use the Creative Commons license as opposed to traditional copyright, it will free up a lot of material for other SCAdians to use and build upon, while allowing everyone involved to have the assurance that things were proper and legal. Creative Commons licensing is intended to allow the creators to be more free in how they let their works get around, while at the same time protecting their rights under the law.

One of the things that the SCA is about is sharing knowledge, and building upon it. It’s been said that “we stand upon the shoulders of giants” when it comes to academic works. This, I think, addresses that. Credit is given to those who want to be credited for their works, and others are allowed to use their work freely, subject to conditions that the original creator wants to have met.

Everybody wins. The original creators’ works get wider distribution, the people who want to use their works, and the Society as a whole is made greater by the contributions made and used. Creative Commons is not a replacement for traditional copyright. It’s an enhancement. Knowledge is meant to be shared, and this makes that sharing easier. Next time you write class notes, or submit an article, photo or drawing to your local newsletter, please consider putting it under a Creative Commons license. We are all wealthy when it comes to our particular area of specialty. Share that wealth with the rest of the Known World. You never know what your work might lead someone else to.