Yesterday, a post to the CMA listserv mentioned students “borrowing” from the Web for material in their student newspaper. Such borrowing is, in many instances, wrong and a violation of copyright. However, there are legitimate means of obtaining material for use in student publications without running afoul of copyright law. Stock Xchange is a stock photography website that offers unrestricted use of most images, and the images are usually high resolution. There is also Creative Commons, a system that allows copyright owners to let others use their original works without having to ask permission. I wrote about CC in May of this year: Creative Commons. #

Today, we find out that some of the newspapers in the Gatehouse Media fold have embraced the Creative Commons. Lisa Williams, guesting at Jay Rosen’s PressThink, has details, Newspaper Chain Goes Creative Commons: Gatehouse Media Rolls CC Over 96 Newspaper Sites: #

That little badge is news. The TAB is owned by GateHouse Media, a newspaper conglomerate that owns 75 daily and 231 weekly newspapers. And the TAB isn’t the only paper that got a silver CC badge this week. Without fanfare, the company is rolling out Creative Commons licenses covering nearly all of the 121 dailies and weeklies they own in Massachusetts. The CC license now covers 96 of the company’s TownOnline sites, which are grouped within a portal for their many Eastern Massachusetts newspapers. #

Howard Owens, whom we frequently cite around here, is the director for digital publishing for Gatehouse. Kudos to Howard and the Gatehouse company for opening up their content. #

College publications would be wise to look into using Creative Commons to license their content. You can place limits on how material is used, but the key is to let people spread your material and keep it flowing in conversation. In a world where remixes and mashups are all-too-common, locking down content that has little economic value after its publication is old-school thinking. CC is also a good way to find material that students can use legally in their publications. #

UPDATE 11:50 EST 12-15-06: Howard Owens discusses CC on his site today (with no mention of the Gatehouse moves), and provides two points that are worth repeating: #

Some publishers may be afraid to take this step because they think they are giving up copyright, but they’re not. CC is a license. You don’t surrender copyright (or even really control) at all. #

and #

If I had another piece of advice for publishers considering CC: Don’t allow remix. News organizations have ethical obligations to accuracy and fairness not to explicitly allow people to change the news. You need to preserve the right to prohibit people from changing the meaning of the content. #

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