December 17, 2002 5:25 PM PST
Free use copyright project advances
The Creative Commons, a project led by Stanford law professor and copyright activist Larry Lessig, has released its new computer-readable copyright license designed for artists, writers and programmers who want to give the public access to their works. The license, a bit of code that can be added to a digital work, allows authors to specify exactly how other people can use the work and lets those details show up in a search engine. The Commons is dedicated to expanding the number of works of any nature in the public domain, including those that are freely usable by other artists and programmers.