We need to talk about sharing, and I’m not talking about taxi and hotel apps,
I’m talking about real sharing.
The kind my mother taught me about.
Turns out sharing isn’t just good for the playground: it’s also good for grown-ups.
Community, collaboration, and sharing are at the heart of human advancement.
These values built the web we love.
The idea that evolution is nothing more than a selfish struggle for survival, is utterly, spectacularly incomplete.
It appears we need each other after all.
Harvard researcher Martin Nowak calls it the “snuggle for survival.”
We are hard wired for sharing.
When we share, everyone wins: the giver, the receiver, and our communities.
Studies have shown that with just a few sharers in the mix, they will inspire an entire culture of sharing.
Now if sharing is at the core of successful societies, then why do we have some of the most restrictive copyright laws in history?
The commons is an idea as old as we are
but today, most of the world’s creativity will be locked away for decades, even for those who want to share.
You already know Creative Commons.
You’ve seen our logo on Wikipedia, YouTube, Medium, Flickr, and more – we’re even in the New York MoMA’s permanent design collection.
Every day, creators, institutions, non-profits, and governments use our licenses to switch copyright’s “all rights reserved” into CC’s “some rights reserved.”
We are now the steward of a global commons
a universe of free and open content shared under simple terms
that can spark new ideas and solve global challenges.
Creators have shared over 1.1 billion works
including NASA’s iconic images
educational materials in every subject, scientific research
government open data, 3D models, and more...
But quantity isn’t the key issue.
We need the commons to be vibrant, usable, collaborative.
Creators need to find the best new works, share feedback, give gratitude, get analytics,
and build networks around their interests and passions.
It’s time to light up our global commons.
Now this is where you come in.
The effort to build a more connected commons is nothing short of transformational
And we need your help
It’s a strategic shift for Creative Commons that will require us to develop new infrastructure, new tools, and new resources;
and it will require a new level of investment.
That’s why we’re launching our most ambitious campaign to date.
And we’re off to a great start.
But we need you to tip the scales.
Remember those first few who share?
They will inspire a culture of sharing where everybody wins: the giver, the receiver, and our global community.
Help us light up the global commons.
Help create a world that is more accessible, equitable, and full of innovation.
Visit creativecommons.org/remix and join the movement today.