Creative commons clinic

Rock group Nine Inch Nails caused a sensation in the music world recently - and it wasn’t for their front man’s antics. Every day, artists and consumers are finding new ways to engage with each other in a virtual world: traditional copyright rules are out; new business models are in. NIN’s online release of their current album under a Creative Commons (CC) licence which lets others share, burn and even remix their songs is just the latest example of artists allowing their fans to access and use creative product outside the powerful grip major corporations have traditionally held over distribution.

A new book, edited by Professor Brian Fitzgerald, Professor Fuping Gao, Mr Damien O’Brien and Mr Sampsung Xiaoxiang Shi, focuses geographically on the Asia-Pacific, and particularly on China and Australia, but addresses universal themes about the law of copyright and its adaptation to the Internet in the 21st century said the Hon Justice Douglas at the launch in Brisbane yesterday.

World renowned brain scientist Baroness Greenfield will present a public lecture on Creating Creative Brains as part of the Creating Value conference presented by CCI, to be held at 9 am, Wednesday 24 June. The creative process encompasses factors that must be common to diverse activities, ranging from painting, music and literature, through to scientific insights. At the same time this all encompassing phenomenon must be distinguished from ‘ordinary’ thinking! Download the brochure for more information.

During 2008, the Clinic will deepen and expand its engagement with students, researchers and practitioners across the country and internationally by:

• creating an internship program, which will be open to students and those with relevant experience from all over the country and potentially internationally;

• developing more formal links (e.g., in the form of advising and supervising) with undergraduate and postgraduate students conducting research into Creative Commons;

• running an open content licensing Masters of Law unit in Second Semester 2008;

In 2007 the Clinic team took significant steps towards establishing a research foundation for the understanding and application of Creative Commons licensing as a legal tool designed to facilitate creative innovation.