NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 24 number 1 - Fall 2003

Does every author need "all rights reserved?" asked James Boyle, the 2003 I. T. Littleton Seminar guest speaker. Boyle, a professor of law at Duke University, argued in his April 22 talk at the D .H. Hill Library that many authors, artists, software writers, and other creators would benefit from a "some rights reserved" model of copyright to encourage a wider use of their work.

Boyle, an expert on intellectual property, cyberspace, and social and legal theory, joined Lawrence Lessig, Eric Eldred, and others in 2001 to create the Web-based Creative Commons to provide alternatives to traditional ways of managing copyright. According to the narrator of an uncommonly creative video on the organization's Web site (creativecommons.org), the "Big C" [the familiar copyright symbol] is like a red light. Little c [the alternative copyright symbol for a Creative Commons license] is a green light. It says some rights reserved, or even no rights reserved.

Boyle illustrated the need for Creative Commons by recalling when his son asked why an online library catalog provided only bibliographic information about an old book rather than online access to the full text of the publication. Boyle explained that even if libraries could overcome the technical challenges of scanning, formatting, and storing the texts of millions of books, copyright would need to be addressed. Any library that wanted to offer that sort of online text would first have to determine if a book was still protected under copyright law or was in the public domain, who held the copyright to the publication, whether or not the copyright holder would give the library permission to place the publication on the Web, and what fees might be involved.

Boyle speculated that many authors who no longer make money from book sales might be delighted to have readers find online versions of their work in a library to read for free. Creative Commons offers copyright licenses that could facilitate wider distribution and reuse of otherwise copyrighted works. Using a Creative Commons license, an author could not only specify what rights he or she retained but also what uses are allowed (nonprofit educational reproduction and distribution). Thus, prospective users of a copyrighted work would know immediately and seamlessly what uses are permitted and what are prohibited.

Boyle also discussed recent changes to copyright law, arguing that increased protection for copyright holders is not only bad for the creators and researchers who depend on the public domain, but is also dangerous for the economy. America's history of limited intellectual property protection has led to the greatest production of creative and technological works in human history. Creative Commons provides an important public service by encouraging the future robust exchange of knowledge and information. This will benefit teachers, researchers, writers, artists, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, Web developers, and many more.

The NCSU Librarians Association's Steering Committee, consisting of Josh Boyer, Karen Grigg, Susan Wolf Neilson, and Liz Burnette, planned the seminar and reception, which was free and open to the NC State community and library colleagues in North Carolina.

The I. T. Littleton Seminar Endowment, established in March 1987 to mark the retirement of I. T. Littleton as library director at NC State, provided funding for the seminar. The seminar series addresses major issues that affect libraries across the nation and explores diverse perspectives. Individuals interested in making a contribution to the Littleton endowment should write a check to the "Friends of the Library" and specify the endowment name. Send contributions to Friends of the Library, NCSU Libraries, Campus Box 7111, Raleigh, NC 27695-7111.