Creative Commons

We recently shared an update on the evolution of CC signals. As AI systems increasingly extract value from the commons without adequate consent, attribution, or transparency, sustaining a healthy commons requires stronger governance and accountability. This reflects a shift in our approach: from expressing preferences to rebalancing power to protect the commons. In our newest blog post, we share several high-impact interventions we are advancing to restore trust, strengthen participation, and embed public interest values into the AI knowledge ecosystem.

Open preprint practices are crucial for immediate sharing of scientific research, and our preprint policy framework is a model for promoting preprints. A growing community of research funders and organizations agree, including Gates Foundation, Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s | ASAP, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Learn more on the ASAPbio preprint policy framework website! https://lnkd.in/g78Fcq7Y

Look what made it to UNESCO House 👀 You can never have too many tote bags. Especially when they're this cute! Get yours from our revamped merch store: https://buff.ly/cFFvRQc

Something remarkable happened on 29 April! Over 100 people gathered at UNESCO House in Paris to explore how equitable access to heritage can help solve the world's most pressing challenges. This Exploratory Dialogue was the culmination of years of research, movement building, and global advocacy. This was a milestone moment for the #OpenHeritageStatement, a declaration of principles built by the @OpenHeritageCoalition, convened by Creative Commons, now backed by nearly 100 institutional signatories and positioned as the foundation for a potential UNESCO standard-setting instrument on Open Heritage. The momentum is real. Read our full recap at https://buff.ly/gf5mIRT. And if your organization hasn't signed yet, now is the time. openheritagestatement.org.

Creative Commons invites you to explore the legacy and history of Open Education through a virtual panel on May 15. Panelists include Kathryn Kure, Cable Green, PhD, Angela DeBarger, and moderator Jennryn Wetzler, who will reflect on the origins of the open education movement, the milestones that defined its evolution, and the communities that carried it forward across regions and generations. Speakers will share stories from the field: the early experiments, pivotal policy wins, institutional shifts, and grassroots efforts that enabled open education to take root in different parts of the world. Together, we’ll examine how local context—cultural, political, and economic—has influenced what openness looks like in practice, and how these variations have contributed to a rich and evolving global ecosystem.

"As Getty looks to the future, the organization seeks a broader framework for open and generous sharing, one that lowers barriers to access and aligns with prevailing field-wide standards." Read this wonderful piece about how Getty staff with CC certificates formed an affinity group which serves as a campus resource and repository of knowledge for all Getty staff to explore the role that CC licenses play in the arts and cultural heritage spheres. Our 2026 CC Certificate courses are open for registration now! Become a resource for open sharing at your institution through a 10-week interactive course with a cohort of your peers. https://lnkd.in/gmhBadwC

On 29 April 2026, Creative Commons will convene experts at UNESCO House in Paris for an exploratory dialogue on the role of equitable access to heritage in the digital environment. Together, panelists will explore how access to public domain heritage contributes to education, climate science, social inclusion, ethical AI, sustainable development, and cultural and linguistic diversity. Registration is closed, but a recording will be posted following the event. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gnQrWKVq Open Heritage Coalition

It's been a while since we last shared an update on CC signals and our work around AI and the commons. Over the past several months, we've been deep in research, in conversation, and in active collaboration with communities, policymakers, and practitioners to determine where we can act in ways that will have real impact. And through that work, CC signals has evolved. Community feedback forced us to confront some of our own assumptions and reexamine what it means to support the commons in this new context. Our end goal has not changed, but what we are building to get there has. Read our new blog post to learn more about this journey, and then stay tuned for next week when we will share more about the specific interventions we are building from this foundation.

We’re going to RightsCon! Would you like to come chat with us while we’re there? Please let us know! We are available to chat about our work while we’re in town and may gather a small CC community group for a meal if there’s interest. You can also attend our session: “Collective action for the commons: safeguarding open knowledge in AI” on Thursday, May 7 at 3:15pm. CC will be sharing an update on our AI intervention for discussion, and the feedback we gather will be synthesized as a part of our global consultation on solutions for sharing in the age of AI. Will you be there? Let us know what you have planned and any sessions you are hosting! https://buff.ly/1V8ZZyw