Creative commons: A convergence model between the ideal of commons and the possibilities of creation in contemporary times, opposed to copyright impediments

The contemporary individual finds on the Internet and especially on the Web facilitating conditions to build a basic infrastructure based on the concept of commons. He also finds favorable conditions which allow him to collaborate and share resources for the creation, use, reuse, access and dissemination of information. However, he also faces obstacles such as Copyright (Law 9610/98 in Brazil). An alternative is Creative Commons which not only allows the elaboration, use and dissemination of information under legal conditions but also function as a facilitator for the development of informational commons. This paper deals with this scenario.

Creative Commons: a convergence model between the ideal of commons and the possibilities of creation in contemporary times, opposed to copyright impediments

The contemporary individual finds on the Internet and especially on the Web facilitating conditions to build a basic infrastructure based on the concept of commons. He also finds favorable conditions which allow him to collaborate and share resources for the creation, use, reuse, access and dissemination of information. However, he also faces obstacles such as Copyright (Law 9610/98 in Brazil). An alternative is Creative Commons which not only allows the elaboration, use and dissemination of information under legal conditions but also function as a facilitator for the development of informational commons. This paper deals with this scenario.

Direito autoral e tecnologias de informação e comunicação no contexto da produção, uso e disseminação de informação: um olhar para as Licenças Creative Commons

The development of information and communication technologies, in particular, Internet, and its Web 2.0 information environment has led to significant changes in contemporary society as to the ways of producing informational content. Collaboration and remix, favored by the new services and applications resulting from the development of the Web, are practices which contribute for the exponential growth of information producers. An important part of humanity ceases to be a mere consumer of symbolic goods and becomes a member in a society that sees in the collaboration and remix a new form of creation, use and dissemination of intellectual content. However, as such practices involve the production and use of information intelectual content, and are ruled by a legisltion which determine determines under what conditions the author and the user must produce and use the intellectual work. This legislation established for a context prior to the develompment of the Web has created an imbalance in the context of Web 2.0 which needs to be solved in some way so as to provide the required rebalance for the flow of information. This study explores the collaborative Web environment, the scope of copyright law in Web enviroment and the Creative Commons licenses as an alternative for producers and users of information to create, recreate, share, use, reuse and disseminate legally the intellectual production for the benefit of the construction of knowledge.

The WIPO development agenda and the contribution of the international library community

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the international strengthening of copyright law in developing countries and the active involvement of the international library community in the movement against it.Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the overprotection of intellectual property rights through international and bilateral treaties, the reaction against such through the proposal of a WIPO development agenda, and the contribution of the international library organizations to the debates and discussions in the WIPO arena.Findings - The initiative for a development agenda for WIPO has proven much more successful than many had imagined, even its promoters. The most relevant proposals made by the international library community were included in the final list of approved recommendations.Originality/value - The paper raises awareness of the relationship between copyright and access to knowledge and, in consequence, the need for library organizations to exert influence in such legislation.