Are you ready to “terminate”? CC’s “termination of transfers” BETA

This is a fun project I’ve been pushing inside CC which, thanks to endless work by our GC Mia Garlick and a Stanford student, Dana Powers, has now launched as a beta.

The background is this: US copyright law gives creators an inalienable right to terminate any “transfer” or assignment of copyright after 35 years. The idea was to give the creator a second bite at the apple, an idea that goes back to the first US copyright law.

The problem with the procedure is — surprise, surprise! — it is INSANELY complicated. It is almost as if — AS IF — it was designed not to be used.

So Creative Commons decided it would take a crack at making the system easier. We’ve developed a tool that will help an author determine whether or when an assignment is terminable. And our idea is to work with legal aid clinics around the country to refer likely terminators for final termination (it is an irresistible word for us Californians).

At this stage, the tool doesn’t refer you. And you should not use or rely on anything that comes from this BETA. But we’d be very eager for people to play around with it and give us feed back on the tool. When we’re really confident we’ve got all the logic right, and it’s clear enough, and when we’ve lined up volunteer projects around the country to represent authors whose transfers are to be terminated, we’ll launch the project.

Why is this a Creative Commons project? We’ve seen CC from the start as a tool to help creators manage an insanely complicated copyright system. When we have this running, we’ll offer any copyright owner who has reclaimed his or her rights the opportunity to distribute the work under a CC license. But that will be optional. Right now, we’re just offering the tool to make it simpler for authors to get what the copyright system was intended to give them.

This entry was posted in creative commons. Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to Are you ready to “terminate”? CC’s “termination of transfers” BETA

  1. James Day says:

    I wonder when the first of the copyright assignments to the FSF for GPL’d GNU software becomes terminable, and how many author’s executors and trustees will notice.

  2. Janet Hawtin says:

    Doesn’t this mean that for example, the share alike licence can not be trusted as it can be rescinded and make all derivative works infringing some time down the track? Perhaps this feature has not been used because it reduces trust in the licences on works and makes nothing safe for use. The commons becomes the beam of a followspot and anyone who does not keep up with it is a criminal?

  3. John S. says:

    This is similar to a project I did as an independent study last semester here at UNC. My site is up on my school’s library site:

    http://library.law.unc.edu/termination/

    Yours seems cleaner and more complete, but double checking this kind of calculation may be nice. Also, mine might be a little more flexible in computing the notice window based on different exact termination dates, but I’m not certain. The preliminary questions that your site asks at the beginning are only presented to users at my site as a checklist.

    I agree that figuring out the logic to compute this stuff was not easy, as I had to read and re-read the statute many times and make sure my logic matched exactly. The second window was particularly tricky.

    My code (a few php scripts) is available on my site too, for anyone to verify or build upon, along with a flowchart I made to map out the logic. In addition, I have a paper that I will soon post on my site that I also completed as part of the independent study. It discusses application of terminations to open source and CC licenses and proposes a solution to the problem. I’ll try to get it on the site within a few days now that I have reminded myself to do it.

  4. IP says:

    The problem with the procedure is — surprise, surprise! — it is INSANELY complicated. It is almost as if — AS IF — it was designed not to be used.

  5. Dana Powers says:

    if only we could terminate comment spam…

  6. Here is a good Blog You may Discover Interesting that we Encourage You

  7. Advapypar says:

    It might be the truth that every one and every single loaf of bread characteristics a couple of factors. As a result could possibly be the particular bold Valentine’s Working day. For women, it’s only a gay also while confident day period back again they may get surprises from their individual. Despite the truth that pertaining to guys, this takes place to become a alarming early morning because they are abashed in regards towards the allocated allotment for everyone certain. Every of these desire to onward anything characteristic together with immediate being an alternative concerning banal silpada and also flowers. Individually, I’m having understand a new factor utilized related to replica Cartier notice through our admirer being an alternative for your thrilling tulip glasses and also candied darkish chocolate bars. I can not abjure in which women have a tendency to become built-in to become able in order to adulation elegance. Wherever as well since whenever, they are planning to definitely not necessarily don’t include any issue appropriate for you to boost his or her design and style, uncommon individuals excellent receiving your very own girls your real employed and fashionable look-alike Cartier wrist watches could be a know-how selection. These kinds of sort of watches is normally familiar for you to catch the actual total time for their very own circadian routine. Meanwhile, they’re extremely very best add-ons regarding circadian chichi signing up for because able-bodied as the humorous cachet showing away. Unique Cartier wrist watches are often aural your own desire accounts including abounding ladies. Around the other hand, that they look utilizing sufficient cost varies which are beyond the particular capability linked with abounding men and women. Envision you might be one among those that are confident with regards to Cartier burglar alarm employing definitely going price range, All of us progress a person to discover Cartier reproduction watch with regard to alternatives. These kinds of illegal copies tend to be employing the particular earlier described arete as well as chichi structures since just what the 18-carat Cartier merchandise may simply contract an individual. They are developed in the certain completed abstracts which usually may always be altered to the published designer watches accomplishment along with each and every particulars 100% cloned. The actual consideration achieved men and women even so acknowledge misfortune inside looking at the two variants out and about, let deserted these types of sort of approved passers-by. Therefore, anybody consider totally totally free for you personally for you to struggling actually likely to be familiar basically by various other folks. Oppositely, you can probably butt appetent creator via women and men about yourself. Today, you are going to discover various sorts associated with replica observe within avant-garde market. It truly is attainable to acquire 1 in . your own write-up massive quantity or perhaps maybe by means of on-line web sites. No matter which loving that you tend to be looking for, you may absolutely get a new acceptable just one while by itself you will get from the trustworthy merchant. Possibly these kinds regarding Cartier replications . usually usually are not so big-ticket considering that a couple of tulips also because goodies. Carry out bethink the right amount involving allotted is just not necessarily abstinent by way of price tag label. The actual stage is simply because you ought to apperceive exactly what your current partner is actually cerebration connected with. You may need to place money directly into an extremely crucial factor regarding your ex very own aftertaste as well while allow your ex for you to apperceive that will upon it really is personal you are going to wind up the particular woman Mr. Excellent.

    best cheap watches|

Leave a Reply