Creative Commons

They'll Kill You To Death © tenkkay
Mario characters © Nintendo

• How does the Creative Commons project alter the way we understand ownership and copyright?
• How does this project affect the subject(s) of a work?
• How would a Creative Commons license have altered the works in our textbook reading (Gone with the Wind, the work of Sherrie Levine and Michael Mandiberg)?
• Does the Creative Commons project afford any protection to the right of publicity (the Bela Lugosi case)?

The Creative Commons projects changes the way we understand ownership and copyright by creating a place between "all rights reserved" and "no rights reserved." Instead of having to choose between giving others full use or no use of their work, artists can define some use of their work under Creative Commons. An example of this could be when an artist lets you use some of their work in your own productions, as long as you give them credit as the creator. This project affects the subject(s) of a work by creating opportunities for the expansion, alteration, and/or use of the work by others.

A Creative Commons license could have changed the issues regarding the works in our reading (Gone with the Wind, the work of Sherrie Levine and Michael Mandiberg) by making it easier to use the work and work around the copyright. Maybe there would be less controversy and opposition to Levine and Mandiberg's reproduction and display of someone else's photos if the original artist, Walker Evans, had specified guidelines for the use of his work through Creative Commons. However, I'm unsure if the Creative Commons could afford any protection to the right of publicity (as in the Bela Lugosi case). I think this is a topic that should be discussed further in class.