5 ms·
> If you don't know if you can distribute it, you should assume you can't That's 100% wrong. The default state of a work of art is to be in the public domain.
by alextingle 13y ago
> If you don't know if you can distribute it, you should assume you can't
That's 100% wrong. The default state of a work of art is to be in the public domain. Copyright law creates only a limited exception to that general rule.
- falcolas 13y agoThat's actually incorrect in the US. The default state of a work of art is that it is copyrighted with ownership granted to the creator, with all rights reserved. These rights have to be waived for it to become public domain. http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#102 http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#102
- pyre 13y agoIt's actually difficult to explicitly put your work in the public domain. There are no well-worn routes to doing so.
- russellsprouts 13y agoThe Creative Commons level zero license is probably the best option. In some jurisdictions it is impossible to give up something into the public domain, so the CC0 explicitly gives up as many rights as possible. If it is possible to put something into the public domain, then it does.
- rhino369 13y agoNot really. Works are automatically copyrighted upon creation. It's not some limited exception. You cannot assume a work is public domain until proven otherwise. Otherwise you'll be getting a nastygram from the RIAA.
- alextingle 13y agoWorks are automatically copyrighted upon creation for a limited time.
- Nursie 13y agoMorally speaking you might be right, and on geological timescales, sure. But every work is under copyright the moment it is created until copyright expires unless the creator specifically gives it to the PD. In the modern world, unfortunately, if there's no accompanying license with the material it's pretty likely that you don't have the legal right to distribute it.
- alextingle 13y agoI am aware of that. However, it doesn't invalidate my point.
- dlgeek 13y agoThat's incorrect in any country (167 of them, including most of the west) that signed the Berne Convention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_convention http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_convention), which makes all works copyright-by-default.
- alextingle 13y agoFor a limited time.