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CC0 is a licence. "Public domain" is a state. Some works have no copyright, typically because they're the product of a US Federal institution, or the copyright

CC0 is a licence. "Public domain" is a state. Some works have no copyright, typically because they're the product of a US Federal institution, or the copyright has expired. In American English this copyright-free state is also known as "public domain". (In British English it can mean something quite different.) To put something in the "public domain", you need to make a statement of such. In other words, a licence. You could just say "I put this in the public domain" but it may not provide the certainty that bigcorps like. CC0 is a way of saying this in bigcorp-friendly language. (The CC0 page at https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc... explains this well.) Alternatively, you can use WTFPL, which is a really great way of putting your works in the public domain while guaranteeing that bigcorps won't use them (see: statements on HN by Google people, passim).

pedrocx486 7y ago
>Alternatively, you can use WTFPL, which is a really great way of putting your works in the public domain while guaranteeing that bigcorps won't use them I thought the point of WTFPL was that you didn't care who used your code for what.
- Thorrez 7y ago
  Google will not use anything licensed under WTFPL. Other companies might be the same. https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/licenses/#wtfpl-not-allowed https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/licenses/#wtfpl-no...
M2Ys4U 7y ago
>To put something in the "public domain", you need to make a statement of such. In other words, a licence. You could just say "I put this in the public domain" but it may not provide the certainty that bigcorps like. CC0 is a way of saying this in bigcorp-friendly language. It's more than that - it's impossible to place things in to the public domain in many juristictions - like the UK. (This is because copyright is property, and property must have an owner under the law of England and Wales [also Scots law I think, but I don't know]. Thus, a declaration that something is in the PD is of no effect.)
- pbhjpbhj 7y ago
  You can abandon property to public ownership (land, cars, anything you leave in the street in England & Wales: it gets sold and proceeds go to the Exchequer or Police) so your justification at the end doesn't sway me. Moreover, Google have been allowed to assume ownership of intellectual property (content of books). The moral rights on those properties have been effectively cancelled.
  - M2Ys4U 7y ago
    >You can abandon property to public ownership (land, cars, anything you leave in the street in England & Wales: it gets sold and proceeds go to the Exchequer or Police) so your justification at the end doesn't sway me. Sure, bona vacantia is A Thing - but your comment spells it out. The copyright gets _sold_ by the state to whoever wants to buy it. That is not the same thing as public domain - the new owner can enforce their monopoly rights over the works which can screw over anybody depending on the work being "in the public domain".

pedrocx486 7y ago

>Alternatively, you can use WTFPL, which is a really great way of putting your works in the public domain while guaranteeing that bigcorps won't use them I thought the point of WTFPL was that you didn't care who used your code for what.

Thorrez 7y ago
Google will not use anything licensed under WTFPL. Other companies might be the same. https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/licenses/#wtfpl-not-allowed https://opensource.google/docs/thirdparty/licenses/#wtfpl-no...

M2Ys4U 7y ago

>To put something in the "public domain", you need to make a statement of such. In other words, a licence. You could just say "I put this in the public domain" but it may not provide the certainty that bigcorps like. CC0 is a way of saying this in bigcorp-friendly language. It's more than that - it's impossible to place things in to the public domain in many juristictions - like the UK. (This is because copyright is property, and property must have an owner under the law of England and Wales [also Scots law I think, but I don't know]. Thus, a declaration that something is in the PD is of no effect.)

pbhjpbhj 7y ago
You can abandon property to public ownership (land, cars, anything you leave in the street in England & Wales: it gets sold and proceeds go to the Exchequer or Police) so your justification at the end doesn't sway me. Moreover, Google have been allowed to assume ownership of intellectual property (content of books). The moral rights on those properties have been effectively cancelled.
- M2Ys4U 7y ago
  >You can abandon property to public ownership (land, cars, anything you leave in the street in England & Wales: it gets sold and proceeds go to the Exchequer or Police) so your justification at the end doesn't sway me. Sure, bona vacantia is A Thing - but your comment spells it out. The copyright gets _sold_ by the state to whoever wants to buy it. That is not the same thing as public domain - the new owner can enforce their monopoly rights over the works which can screw over anybody depending on the work being "in the public domain".