About
History
2001
- Creative Commons founded.
2002
- Version 1.0 licenses released.
2003
- Approximately 1 million licenses in use.
2004
- Estimated 4.7 million licensed works by the end of the year.
- Version 2.0 released.
- Licenses ported to 12 international jurisdictions.
2005
- Estimated 20 million works.
- Version 2.5 released.
- Licenses ported to a further 13 jurisdictions.
- Science Commons launches.
2006
- Estimated 50 million licensed works.
- Licenses ported to a further 9 jurisdictions.
2007
- Estimated 90 million licensed works.
- Version 3.0 released.
- 5th birthday of CC licenses. Event featured performance by Gilberto Gil.
- Licenses ported to a further 8 jurisdictions.
- ccLearn launches.
2008
- Estimated 130 million CC licensed works.
- Licenses ported to a further 8 jurisdictions.
- Lawrence Lessig steps down as CEO, replaced by Joi Ito.
- New Nine Inch Nails album released under CC.
- CC launches fundraising campaign with support from Jesse Dylan and Jonathan Coulton.
2009
- CC0 launched.
- Esther Wojcicki becomes board chair.
Creative Commons was founded in 2001
Founded in 2001 with the generous support of the Center for the Public Domain, CC is led by a Board of Directors that includes cyberlaw and intellectual property experts Michael Carroll, Molly Shaffer Van Houweling, and Lawrence Lessig, MIT computer science professor Hal Abelson, lawyer-turned-documentary filmmaker-turned-cyberlaw expert Eric Saltzman, renowned documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, noted Japanese entrepreneur Joi Ito, and educator and journalist Esther Wojcicki.
Creative Commons’ first project
In December 2002, Creative Commons released its first set of copyright licenses for free to the public. Creative Commons developed its licenses — inspired in part by the Free Software Foundation’s GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) — alongside a Web application platform to help you license your works freely for certain uses, on certain conditions; or dedicate your works to the public domain.
In the years following the initial release, Creative Commons and its licenses have grown at an exponential rate around the world. The licenses have been further improved, and ported to over 50 international jurisdictions.
Science Commons
Science Commons was launched in 2005, under the guidance of John Wilbanks and his team located at MIT. Science Commons designs strategies and tools for faster, more efficient web-enabled scientific research. Identifying and lowering unnecessary barriers to research, craft policy guidelines and legal agreements, and developing technology to make research, data and materials easier to find and use.
ccLearn
ccLearn is a division of Creative Commons, launched in 2007 and led by Ahrash Bissell, dedicated to realizing the full potential of the internet to support open learning and open educational resources. With a mission to minimize legal, technical, and social barriers to sharing and reuse of educational materials, ccLearn is developing brand new tools to integrate Creative Commons into open education.
2008 and on
In 2008, Lawrence Lessig stepped down as CEO and chairman of Creative Commons. Joi Ito replaced him as CEO, with James Boyle taking over as board chair. Caterina Fake also joined the board. In 2009, Esther Wojcicki became board chair.
