The Digital Commons: Using Licenses to Promote Creativity

Abstract:     
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the purpose and need for institutions such as the Creative Commons and attempt to ascertain its importance in developing a lively public domain. To be able to do so, this paper begins by studying the concepts, roles and interaction of private property, the public domain and the commons. Discussing how and why the critique of the commons, as applied to digital products, is flawed. The paper then discusses the role of the commons in the creation and spread of intellectual property online.

Keywords: Digital, Creative Commons, Licenses, Creativity, Intellectual Property

Accepted Paper Series