Korean Open Access License
SEOUL, KOREA -- Given the emergence of Creative Commons (CC) licensing in Australia and the debate on its use within the film industry, APC.au decided to have a look at other implementations of the CC licensing, or variations there of, in the region. In October 2004 IPLeft launched the Korean Open Access License (KOAL), a "cultural movement for sharing creative networks".
This explanation about KOAL was translated from Korean by APC's member, Jinbonet.
As information and communication technologies (ICTs) are growing and broadband infrastructure become wide-spread, it seems that people can have access to information more easily. However, differently from this expectation, the convenience to use information and the effect to cut the expenses on information are not so much. One example is that in South Korea, in spite of the huge broadband infrastructure, it is very limited to have access to the digital library. It is due to the restriction of existing copyright regime.
Copyright act directly grants several rights such as copy, distribution, display etc. to authors for their works regardless of their minds. Some people would like to express 'all rights reserved', but others are likely to express 'some rights reserved'. Another people don't mind their rights, even they hope that their works would be used without any restriction of copyright. Like this, authors' minds are very diverse. But there have not been a specific system to express authors' minds concretely in South Korea.
In this contexts, IPLeft has researched many of open access models and finally developed KOAL. It is a kind of social contract between authors and users. Authors can set free for certain use on their works by KOAL and mark a KOAL logo. People can use the works according to the authors' mark of KOAL. Offering works under KOAL means that authors permit to use their work only on certain condition, not giving up the copyright. KOAL can be used on diverse works such as software, academy, education, digital contents and media.
KOAL has four options:
- OK on commercial use and derivative work.
- OK on non-commercial use and derivative work.
- OK on commercial use and No on derivative work.
- OK on non-commercial use and No on derivative work.
KOAL provides a cultural basis to encourage free use of information. Fundamentally, it can contribute to the improvement and development of a creative culture.
Korean Open Access License
http://www.freeuse.or.kr
About IPLeft
IPLeft is a social group for the information commons in South Korea founded in 1999. IPLeft is concerned about the social and digital divide and criticises the strengthening of intellectual property right (IPR) regimes andvresearchs alternative policies against existing IPR. IPLeft believes that the cultural basis of the information commons should be socially wide-spread for real innovation and creation.
IPLeft
http://www.ipleft.or.kr
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