Free works and open content What does Open Source and Open Content actually mean?
Open source software and open content are copyrighted works, the use of which is permitted by the right holders under a particular type of standard license. This usually has immense advantages for the users of such works: On the one hand, open source and open content licences usually grant very extensive rights of use and, on the other hand, the acquisition of rights is "automatic", i.e. without an individual agreement being required. In addition, use is permitted free of charge.
Since the foundation of the "Creative Commons" initiative in 2001, the open source principle has been increasingly applied. The best known and most successful example of an open content project is probably Wikipedia. All Wikipedia content is licensed under an open content license (specifically the Creative Commons license "BY-SA") and may therefore be distributed, copied, edited and otherwise used by anyone free of charge.
There are in total six such CC licences:
Source: Symbols of Creative Commons; Table by Burgert/TU München; www.blog.lehren.tum.de/kostenlose-bilder-creative-commons/ (image edited by Lehre 4.0 team, JLU)
Creative Commons (CC) is a kind of "license construction kit". If you want to publish your film, text, music or photos under CC, you will find a selection of different standard licenses on the website of the initiative. The copyright holder can decide whether or not he or she wishes to permit changes to the work or its commercial use through the licence. Rights of use not covered by the granting of rights under the CC License are reserved by the right holder. "Some rights reserved" is the motto of Creative Commons (cf. Kreutzer/Hirche 2017: 20-21).
The following YouTube video explains once again what Open Source and the CC license combinations are all about (available only in German).
The video is under a CC-BY-SA-4.0 license (naming & distribution under the same conditions). The names of the authors have to be named as follows: eScouts of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum Christine Ruthenfranz & Matthias Kostrzewa.
The video is under a CC-BY-SA-4.0 license (naming & distribution under the same conditions). The names of the authors have to be named as follows: eScouts of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum Christine Ruthenfranz & Matthias Kostrzewa.
The video is licensed under a CC-BY-SA-4.0 license (naming & sharing under the same conditions). The names of the authors must be named as follows: eScouts of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum Christine Ruthenfranz & Matthias Kostrzewa.