The Organizations Announce Availability of Microsoft Office Add-In That
Enables Easy Access to Creative Commons Copyright Licenses
REDMOND, Wash. and SAN FRANCISCO, June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Creative Commons, a nonprofit
organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works,
have teamed up to release a copyright licensing tool that enables the easy
addition of Creative Commons licensing information for works in popular
Microsoft(R) Office applications. The copyright licensing tool will be
available free of charge at Microsoft Office Online,
http://office.microsoft.com, and CreativeCommons.org. The tool will enable
the 400 million users of Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel(R)
and Microsoft Office PowerPoint(R) to select one of several Creative
Commons licenses from within the specific application.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
"We're delighted to work with Creative Commons to bring fresh and
collaborative thinking on copyright licensing to authors and artists of all
kinds," said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at
Microsoft. "We are honored that creative thinkers everywhere choose to use
Microsoft tools to give shape to their ideas. We're committed to removing
barriers to the sharing of ideas across borders and cultures, and are
offering this copyright tool in that spirit."
"The goal of Creative Commons is to provide authors and artists with
simple tools to mark their creative work with the freedom they intend it to
carry," said Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Stanford Law School and
founder of Creative Commons. "We're incredibly excited to work with
Microsoft to make that ability easily available to the hundreds of millions
of users of Microsoft Office."
"It's thrilling to see big companies like Microsoft working with
nonprofits to make it easier for artists and creators to distribute their
works," said Gilberto Gil, cultural minister of Brazil, host nation for the
Creative Commons iSummit in Rio de Janeiro June 23 through 25, where the
copyright licensing tool will be featured. Gil, who will keynote at the
iSummit, has released one of the first documents using the Creative Commons
add-in for Microsoft Office.
The goal of the Creative Commons licenses is to give an author a
clearer ability to express his or her intentions regarding the use of the
work. The Microsoft Office tool allows users to choose from a variety of
Creative Commons licenses that enable an author to retain copyright
ownership, yet permit the work to be copied and distributed with certain
possible restrictions, such as whether or not the work can be used
commercially and whether or not modifications can be made to the work. The
full list of licenses available from Creative Commons is available online
at http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses. The tool
also provides a way for users to dedicate a work to the public domain.
"Microsoft's openness in working with the Creative Commons is a very
exciting because an author can now easily embed licenses to creative works
during the process of innovation," said Ian Angell, professor of
Information Systems at the London School of Economics (LSE). "This is an
important step in ensuring that each individual becomes aware of his or her
own intellectual property rights -- and those of others. We at the LSE are
keen to work with Microsoft toward empowering the 'creators of intellectual
wealth' to become more involved in its commercial use." The LSE partners
with Creative Commons to drive Creative Commons license adoption and
awareness in England and Wales.
"Creative Commons licenses are essential for protecting my creative
work and for sharing it with others. They help with copyright issues, which
frees me to do my job: making movies. I'm glad Microsoft Office users can
now so easily use Creative Commons' tools," said Davis Guggenheim, director
of the documentaries "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Teach" and member of the
board of directors of Creative Commons.
"The collaboration of Microsoft and Creative Commons to bring Creative
Commons licenses to Microsoft Office applications underscores how
for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations can work together to bring
innovative ideas and tools to the public," said Alan Yates, general manager
of the Information Worker Division at Microsoft.
Microsoft and Creative Commons partnered with 3sharp LLC, a
Redmond-based independent solution provider to develop and test the
copyright licensing tool.
About Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001,
that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works --
whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licenses provide a
flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists and
educators that build upon the "all rights reserved" concept of traditional
copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach. It is
sustained by the generous support of various foundations including the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Omidyar Network Fund, the
Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of
the public. For general information, visit http://creativecommons.org.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, Excel and PowerPoint are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may
be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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Related links:
http://creativecommons.org
http://www.microsoft.com/
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060621/SFW071
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
pr.mspx./ /CONTACT: Jessica Coffman,
+1-425-638-7000, or jessicac@waggeneredstrom.com, or Rapid
Response Team, +1-503-443-7070, or rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, both
of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, for Microsoft Corp.; or Eric
Steuer of Creative Commons, +1-415-946-3039, or
eric@creativecommons.org
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