Creative Commons Applauds Eldred Vs. Ashcroft And Promotes A Balance Between The Public Domain And Private Copyrights

WASHINGTON, DC -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 10/09/2002 -- Furthering its vision to promote a rich public domain alongside traditional copyrights, Creative Commons today announced its support for the petitioners in Eldred vs. Ashcroft, the United States Supreme Court case that will decide the future of copyright law, including how and when artists, publishers, and educators can build upon the work of the others.

Eldred vs. Ashcroft challenges the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extended existing and future copyrights by 20 years. The petitioners claim the Act clashes with the Framers’ vision of clearly limited monopoly rights for creators and with the First Amendment.

The release of intellectual innovations into the public domain not only enables creators to build upon a wide range of previously restricted works, but also encourages future intellectual innovation. "Our Framers' genius was to realize that progress in the arts and sciences comes from a balance between the public and the private, the free and the owned,” said Glenn Otis Brown, Executive Director of Creative Commons. “The Eldred case is perhaps the most prominent of many efforts to restore such a balance to the world of copyright. While Creative Commons is not the business of advocacy, we are proud to be part of this broader movement."

Stanford Law School professor and Creative Commons Chairman Lawrence Lessig represents lead plaintiff Eric Eldred in this landmark case.

Further information on Eldred vs. Ashcroft is available at www.eldred.cc.

About Creative Commons

Bridging the copyright world with the public domain, Creative Commons promotes the innovative reuse of all types of intellectual works. An assemblage of renowned cyberlaw, intellectual property, and technology experts collaborated on Creative Commons' first initiative planned for public release in Autumn 2002. Through this project, copyright holders can choose from a collection of licenses to easily inform others that their works are free for copying and other uses under specific conditions. Creative Commons is an independent, non-profit organization based at Stanford Law School. For more information, visit creativecommons.org.