9 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2020
    1. More on philosophies of copyright

      In document "2.1 Copyright Basics", under section "Purpose of Copyright", the course material includes some paragraphs about philosophies of copyright: the utilitarian and the philosophy based on author's rights.

      For this section, I'd like to recommend a non-North American text, called "Discutiendo la regulación del acceso a la cultura: Una sistematización de los argumentos críticos de la Propiedad Intelectual" ("Discussing the regulation of access to culture: A systematization of the critical arguments of Intellectual Property").

      This paper, by Mariano Zukerfeld, is in Spanish and is published under copyright, but it is legally available online on e-TCS website: https://e-tcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Discutiendo-la-regulaci%C3%B3n-del-acceso-a-la-cultura.pdf

      The paper systematize arguments that criticize intellectual property from very different political-philosophical theories, from liberalism and libertarianism, to Keynesianism and Marxism.

    2. limitations and exceptions to copyright

      For the document "2.4 Exceptions and Limitations to Copyright", I'd like to recommend to add more information and sources about limitations and exceptions in non-North American countries. For example, there is a paper called "Situación de las excepciones y limitaciones a los Derechos de Autor en los países del MERCOSUR desde la perspectiva del acceso al conocimiento y a la cultura" ("Situation of exceptions and limitations to Copyright in MERCOSUR countries from the perspective of access to knowledge and culture"), by Patricia Díaz Charquero, under a CC BY-SA license. This paper explains limitations and exceptions to copyright from the perspective of Human Rights, and discusses the general lack of L&E in South American countries.

      The paper is available on: http://repositorio.cfe.edu.uy/handle/123456789/133?show=full

    3. More information about the public domain

      In the document "2.3 The Public Domain", I'd suggest to add a brief paragraph about the fact that, due to the Berne Convention, new works enter the public domain every year on the same date: January 1st. That date is called "Public Domain Day" and is celebrated around the world.

      The "Public Domain Day" Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA) is very helpful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Domain_Day

      Also the website "Public Domain Day International - Global celebrations of the liberation of works", by Sebastiaan ter Burg, informs about PD Day celebrations around the world: https://www.pdday.org/

    1. Frequently Asked Questions by Creative Commons

      For non-North American learners, specifically Latin-Americans interested in CC licenses, I'd like to recommend the CC Argentina FAQs. These FAQs are very complete and they range from simple questions to more advanced ones.

      CC Argentina's FAQs, under a CC BY-SA license, are available on: http://creativecommons.org.ar/faq.html

      An adapted version is also available on CC Uruguay's website, under a CC BY-SA license: http://www.creativecommons.uy/preguntas-frecuentes/

    2. Additional Resources

      For document "3.3 License Types", under section "Commercial vs. noncommercial use,", I'd like to suggest adding the essay "Free knowledge based on Creative Commons licenses: Consequences, risks and side-effects of the license module 'non-commercial use only – NC'", by John H. Weitzmann, licensed under CC BY-SA: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Free_knowledge_based_on_Creative_Commons_licenses

      This essay is very helpful to discuss some possible disadvantages of using the NC clause.

    3. 3 Steps for Licensing Your 3d Printed Stuff

      I found Michael Weinberg's article about 3D printed stuff very helpful. In particular, the article explains very clearly why 3D scans of monuments, sculptures and architectural works in the public domain don't have copyright (they are faithful reproductions of existing works, not new works), and therefore shouldn't be licensed under CC.

      (This note refers to Document "3.2 License Scope", under the section "Because copyright does not apply in those scenarios, CC licenses don’t either.")

    1. Additional Resources

      In document "5.1 OER, Open Textbooks, and Open Courses", under section "Open Educational Resources (a very brief timeline)", I'd suggest to add a mention to Open Education Week, founded in 2013 by the Open Education Consortium. The Open Education Week takes place every year: it is set of events around the world to raise awareness about OER and other aspects of Open Education.

      The Open Education Week website, licensed under CC BY, is available here: https://www.openeducationweek.org

    1. Additional details on the court cases in section 4.2:

      I found the details about court cases very helpful, because they bring a clear understanding of some very subtle aspects of CC license clauses, like NC. These cases also set a precedent not just for the US, but for other countries where in the future might arise similar cases.

    1. More information

      In the document "1.2: Creative Commons Today", under the section "Creative Commons: The Movement", I suggest to add, along with other open movements, a mention to Free and Open Source Hardware. The Wikipedia article "Open-source hardware" (CC BY-SA) is quite complete: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_hardware

      Open Harware is a really relevant movement, with includes fantastic projects like RepRap, DIY Book Scanner, and others. And it is fully aligned with the values of Creative Commons and free culture.