Karen Atkinson: Ask GYST: Public Domain Images Get a Mark

Karen Atkinson: Ask GYST: Public Domain Images Get a Mark HPFB.init();
HuffPost's QuickRead... ShareBox.ad = function (tag_id){if ($(tag_id) == undefined) return; if ($(tag_id).innerHTML != '') return;ad_spec = {"zone_info": "huffpost.arts/blog;arts=1;nickname=karen-atkinson;entry_id=764681;art=1;artist=1;artist-at-work=1;artist-rights=1;artwork=1;business-of-art=1;copyright=1;creative-commons=1;professional-practices=1;public-domain=1","ord": 1287184781,"tile": 3,"width": 300,"height": 250,"el_id": tag_id + "_js","class_name": "ad_block ad_wide top","type": "iframe"}HuffPoUtil.WEDGJE.write(ad_spec, tag_id);};Loading... Energy Debates| More... | LogoutLog In| Sign Up  The Huffington Post October 15, 2010 Front PagePoliticsBusinessMediaEntertainmentComedySportsStyle WorldGreenTechFood TravelLiving ArtsBooks ReligionImpactEducation College NY LA Chicago Denver Blogs


Karen AtkinsonGYST is an artist run company that supports artists.

Posted: October 15, 2010 06:37 PMBIOBecome a FanGet Email AlertsBloggers' Indexfunction hide_user_promo_bubble_second_stage() {var bubble = $("user_promo_bubble");bubble.style.display = "none";}function hide_user_promo_bubble() {var bubble = $("user_promo_bubble");var myAnim = new YAHOO.util.Anim(bubble, {opacity: {to: 0}}, 1, YAHOO.util.Easing.easeOut);myAnim.animate();setTimeout("hide_user_promo_bubble_second_stage()", 1100);}function handle_promo_username(params) {var bubble = $("user_promo_bubble");var img = $("user_promo_bubble_image");var anchor = $("user_promo_bubble_link");if (params.has_photo == "true") {img.src = "http://images.huffingtonpost.com/profiles/" + params.user_id + "-tiny.png";} else {img.style.display = "none";Dom.addClass(anchor, "wide");}anchor.innerHTML = "Shared by " + params.user_name;anchor.href = "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/" + params.user_name;bubble.style.display = "block";var myAnim = new YAHOO.util.Anim(bubble, {opacity: {to: 1}}, 2, YAHOO.util.Easing.easeOut);myAnim.animate();}if (HuffPoUtil.getUrlVar("user_promo")) {YAHOO.util.Event.onDOMReady(function() {var parts = document.location.hash.split(","), shared_by = "", badge = "", i;if (parts.length Ask GYST: Public Domain Images Get a Mark What's Your Reaction: HPConfig.entry_digg_promo_url = 'http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-atkinson/ask-gyst-public-domain-im_b_764681.html';digg facebook Twitter stumble redditdel.ico.us Amazing
Inspiring
Funny
Scary
Hot
Crazy
Important
Weird
Read More:Art, Artist, Artist At Work, Artist Rights, Artwork, Business Of Art, Copyright, Creative Commons, Professional Practices, Public Domain, Arts News
Get Arts AlertsEmailComments

Creative Commons has announced the release of the Public Domain Mark. Artists and others are using multiple images from the web for just about every conceivable purpose including making artwork. Now, the new mark can be attached to images that are free of copyright and are a part of the public domain.

The New Public Domain Mark

Even with creative commons searches for images, it is not always clear if those images are copyrighted. With this new mark, we will no longer be guessing. The symbol is the traditional copyright symbol with a slash through it. Think copyright symbol meets the international "no" symbol.

Just to be clear, an image becomes a part of the public domain when their copyright expires or when the artist or creator decides not to copyright and make it part of the public domain. What this means is that people can use the image themselves as is, modify it, or distribute it freely. You do not need permission to use a public domain image. Commercial use of the image becomes possible.

Europeana -- Europe's digital library, museum and archive -- is the first major adopter of the Public Domain Mark. It is announcing the launch at the European Open Culture 2010 Conference, Oct 14-15. The PublicDomain Mark, to be used for marking works already free of copyright, complements Creative Commons' CC0 public domain dedication, which provides an easy and reliable way for adding new works to the public domain prior to the expiry of copyright.

"The Public Domain Mark is a further step on the path towards making the promise of a digital public domain a reality," said Michael Carroll, a founding board member of Creative Commons and a law professor at American University. "Marking and tagging works with information about their copyright status is essential. Computers must be able to parse the public domain status of works to communicate its usefulness to the public. The metadata standard underpinning the Public Domain Mark and all of CC's licensing and legal tools are what makes this possible."

For artists and others, this opens up a clearer distinction of copyright. So watch for this symbol to become a part of your online life, and happy hunting for images.

To make your own images a part of the public domain, please see the creative commons website at http://www.creativecommon.org

Send your questions about the business of art to info@gyst-ink.com.

 

Follow Karen Atkinson on Twitter:www.twitter.com/GYSTInk

Art More in Arts...
Ask GYST: Aging as an ArtistHow to Look at MondrianContemporary Art In Versailles: Addressing The ControversyKonstantin Grcic Wins Designer of the Year...   function returnCommentDetails(params) {// this is the proxy method. just proxyreturn CommentsSharer.getHoveredCommentDetails(params);};function callback_for_loaded_Badges(params) {//console.log("callback_for_loaded_Badges() called");CommentsSharer.badge_object = params.badge_object; // not actualy used, by could be usefulCommentsSharer.badge_holder_id = params.badge_holder_id; // not actualy used, by could be useful}diggstumbleredditdel.ico.usCommentsSharer.initBadgeBox("comment_share_popup"); Comments 0 Pending Comments 1 View FAQ Login or connect with: More Login OptionsLogin with: Google Account Huffpost Account Yahoo AccountYou must be logged in to comment.Post CommentPreview CommentTo reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.

Share your Comment:

Post to Facebook.Post to Blogger.Post to Twitter.Post to WordPress.Post to TypePad.Post to Tumblr.Post to Yahoo! View All Recency  |  Popularity     New comments on this entry — Click to refresh Loading comments… Loading twitter module... Most Popular on HuffPost1D6W1lj5M6WK9G8HrrNmPpYjwnutIsA46NL64OmpEOjb1lq3M1nnXYWa6ECwo6MFwd4UUa6QM7AOal8lrn%2F%2Bqg%3D%3DCvAnOteXEp223IerqcDhw5BVOrc3vXju10iC2cbJapU6B2b9At1Mehxd811XYmevufj2NYDUK4t5ioYQbg4maQ%3D%3D1 of 2 Whoopi, Joy Walk Off 'The View' After Heated Fight With O'Reilly
14,190 Comments Gavin Rossdale Admits To Gay Fling
1,168 Comments Helen Thomas Cries, Calls Obama 'Reprehensible'
5,724 Comments 11 Freedoms That Drunks, Slackers, Prostitutes And Pirates Pioneered
254 Comments Michael P. McDonald Early Voting Off to a Fast Start in...
2,182 Comments 'Suburban Nation'
286 Comments WATCH: Christine O'Donnell Stumped, Can't Name A Recent SCOTUS Decision She Disagrees With
15,220 Comments Jennifer Aniston's Camp Responds To Joan Collins' Insults
1,332 Comments NPR Bans Employees From Stewart, Colbert Rallies
8,144 Comments Don't Miss HuffPost Bloggers1 of 5Bishop Gene Robinson How Religion Is Killing Our Most Vulnerable YouthRobin Quivers Nutty for NutritionRev. Jesse Jackson GOP Runs on the "Big Lie"Dan Rather Help Not Wanted?Bernard-Henri Lévy Sakineh’s Son Arrested: The Great Silence of Conformist ThinkersHenry Louis Gates, Jr. Faces of America: Mehmet Oz and the Immigrant Story PedigreeAl Gore Standing Up Against the Oil Lobby, in California and BeyondAlec Baldwin Waiting for "Superman": A Monumentally Important FilmMelinda Gates Why We Tell Success Stories (VIDEO)Ted Danson A Pacific Gem, ProtectedHot Trends a.d. coleman ansel cirque du soleil revenue isaiah zagar mao's last dancer zakopane poland  #ad_most_pop_234x60_req_wrapper {border:1px solid #cccccc;margin-bottom:10px;padding:30px 22px 10px;background-color:#ffffff;background-image:url('/images/slug_most_popular.gif');background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center 10px} Follow Huffington Post HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Joe Lieberman Could Be Kingmaker In 50-50 SenateJoe Lieberman Disabled Students In The Spotlight Thanks To Theater ProgramVolunteering The Washington Post's TARP Mythmaking, A Recent HistoryWash Post Top Bank Regulator Doesn't Believe Consumers Harmed By Foreclosure Fraud ScandalForeclosures Kim Zolciak's Wardrobe Malfunction (VIDEO)The Real Housewives Dennis Hopper Estate's Big Price ReductionLA Real Estate Obama To Press For Stimulus Payments For SeniorsEconomy Honda Recalls Brazil Compact Cars For Faulty PedalsAuto Bailout North Korean Workers' Party 65th Anniversary Celebration (PHOTOS)North Koreamore big news pages »  
Front PagePoliticsBusinessMediaEntertainmentComedySportsStyleWorldGreenTechFood Travel Living Arts Books Religion Impact Education College NY LA Chicago Denver BlogsAdvertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ | Contact UsCopyright © 2010 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type

HuffPost Lightbox

View the original article here