In recent years, as the Web has complicated copyright law and generally caused headaches for authors, publishers, and end-users, alternatives to strict U.S. copyright law have become more attractive. The best known example of this is the Creative Commons license. It's rapidly gaining in popularity among people who want to make their work (in any media) available for use, but not totally surrender their rights to it. It's a compromise that's tricky under current U.S. law.
The Nebraska state library just posted this: http://tinyurl.com/2tdrf5 on its blog. Libraries there are beginning to explore the possibility of including CC-licensed work in their collections.
Now, I've seen a lot of CC-licensed books online, and most of them aren't copyrighted by major publishers for a reason. But as Creative Commons gains popularity, it's also catching the eye of established writers like Cory Doctorow (the nonfiction author, not to be confused with author E.L. Doctorow). It's an interesting idea that probably warrants exploration.
The Nebraska state library just posted this: http://tinyurl.com/2tdrf5 on its blog. Libraries there are beginning to explore the possibility of including CC-licensed work in their collections.
Now, I've seen a lot of CC-licensed books online, and most of them aren't copyrighted by major publishers for a reason. But as Creative Commons gains popularity, it's also catching the eye of established writers like Cory Doctorow (the nonfiction author, not to be confused with author E.L. Doctorow). It's an interesting idea that probably warrants exploration.
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