6 Ways to Support the Free Culture Movement

How to Support the Free Culture Movement - wikiHow/**/

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Sign Up or Log In or Log In via | Help HomeArticlesCommunityMy Profile Edit Home / Categories / Education and Communications / Social ActivismHow to Support the Free Culture Movement originated by:Creative Commons, Flickety, Carolyn Barratt, Jon123 (see all)

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...a protest movement is forming, made up of lawyers, scholars and activists who fear that bolstering copyright protection in the name of foiling piracy will have disastrous consequences for society – hindering the ability to experiment and create and eroding our democratic freedoms.[1] The free culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom and flexibility to distribute and modify creative works.[2] It's the opposite of the "permission culture" that pervades copyright and intellectual property law. If you believe that information wants to be free, here are some ways you can support this movement.

edit Steps1Practice an abundance mentality. At the core of the free culture movement is the belief that overly restrictive copyright laws hinder creativity by deterring the free exchange of ideas.[3] In contrast, there is an oft-repeated worry that open licensing will hurt the creative work in some way. This is a presumption, though, that may not be accurate when put to the test. Consider the experience of Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta. He has found that his online work has been spread by many more people than he could manage alone and is flattered that people wish to build upon his work and improve it. He says: If they can take my favorite posts and make something funny or inspiring or thought-provoking or even sad... I say more power to them. The creative community only benefits from derivations and inspirations.This isn’t a new concept, of course, and I’m freely ripping ideas off here. Which is kinda the point. [4]A scarcity mentality encourages seeing the cup half empty rather than as half full. This leads to sustained negative reactions such as fear, hoarding, and lack of trust. It's implicit in wanting to control information well beyond the time it has benefited its originator. On the other hand, an abundance mentality sees the cup as half full, preferring to err on the side of sharing, collaborating, and empowering each and every one of us to thrive in a world of plenty.2Broaden your perception of the word "free". When people hear "free" they think about getting something without paying for it, but in "free culture" it refers to the freedom to distribute and build upon creative works without having to ask for permission first. It is absolutely compatible for you to get credit and make money from your works, if you so desire, while still supporting free culture.3Consider other ways you can benefit from your creative works, without restricting distribution. There is the argument that with copyrighted works being shared illegally on the Internet anyway, creators of any kind must find new ways to benefit from their work that do not depend on restrictions that are almost impossible to enforce.The viral aspect: If you use a share-alike license through which someone can distribute or build upon your work only if they share it under the same copyleft license, there's more potential for your work to be distributed virally. If you use a license that requires attribution (which most do), that's an opportunity for your name, brand, or website to "tag along" with something that people are sharing freely with their friends. This can generate significant website traffic and other kinds of leads.Sell services associated with your creative works. If you put something out that people find valuable, you can strive to establish your reputation as an expert so that you can make money from speaking engagements, seminars, teleconferences, or as a consultant. If you're a performer, you can generate income from live performances. You could even get a job offer from someone who's enjoyed your work.Charge for the product. If you're sharing something freely, that means people don't have to ask you (or pay you) before using or redistributing it. But, that doesn't mean you can't simply ask them to pay for it, whether before or after they use your work. For example, if you have an eBook under a copyleft license, you can sell it on your site. People who've already bought it can legally share it with their friends, but you can put a note in the book asking that if they enjoyed the eBook, they can pay for it on your site. If it's a helpful product, there will always be some people who will voluntarily pay for it, just to say thanks.Sell the work in alternative formats. You can use a free license on digital versions of any work, and sell non-digital (for example, print) versions. Or think really laterally and use such non-digital variations as t-shirts, mugs, bags, etc.4Use an open license on any work you create (blog posts, photographs, illustrations, music). There are many licenses you can choose from, such as the GNU General Public License and a variety of Creative Commons licenses, or you can even release your work into the public domain.Read How to choose a Creative Commons license for more tips.Read How to apply the Creative Commons license to Flickr photographs for more tips.5Exercise the freedom to share. In addition to sharing your own works, read and browse works that are freely licensed by others. Use them, build upon them, republish them, and attribute them appropriately. By circulating creative free works, you're promoting the health of free culture, and contributing to the viral nature of freely licensed works (which, as discussed above, can have many benefits for the creator, and for the world).Contribute knowledge and images to any website that uses free licensing by default, such as wikiHow and Wikipedia. You can also post wikiHow articles on your blog or website.Instead of using copyrighted or stock images (in blog posts or brochures, for example) get Creative Commons images from Flickr, look for images at Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pictures_and_images) or look for freely licensed images on Google.6Donate to free culture organizations like Creative Commons. It takes time and money to develop licenses that define the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright and the public domain, and that work globally alongside existing copyright laws. Such organizations also undertake efforts to educate the public about flexible licensing alternatives. And if you can't donate money, you may be able to donate your time and skills to the movement.

edit TipsReflect on the positive consequences of freeing up information for the greater good of human development. Leo Babauta puts the case that a lack of copyright doesn't result in harm: The lack of copyright, and blatant copying by other artists and even businesses, never hurt Leonardo da Vinci when it comes to images such as the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, or the Vitruvian Man. It’s never hurt Shakespeare. I doubt that it’s ever really hurt any artist (although I might just be ignorant here). And while I’m no da Vinci or Shakespeare, I can’t help but wonder whether copyright hurts me or helps me. If someone feels like sharing my content on their blog, or in any other form for that matter, that seems like a good thing for me. If someone wanted to share my ebook with 100 friends, I don’t see how that hurts me.[5]

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edit Related wikiHowsHow to Apply the Creative Commons License to Flickr PhotographsHow to Attribute a Creative Commons Licensed WorkHow to Choose a Creative Commons LicenseHow to Donate to Creative CommonsHow to Find and Download Creative Commons Images from Flickr

edit Sources and Citations^ http://web.archive.org/web/20041018073641/www.cepr.net/Economic_Reporting_Review/nytimesarticles/tyrannycopyright.htm^ http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Culture_movement^ http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Culture_movement^ http://zenhabits.net/open-source-blogging-feel-free-to-steal-my-content/^ http://zenhabits.net/open-source-blogging-feel-free-to-steal-my-content/Articles for You to WriteHere is a list of suggested articles that have not yet been written. You can help by researching and writing one of these articles. To get started writing one of these articles, click on the red link of a title below.

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October 31, 2010 by Bokehmon

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