Public domain except as noted

"Public Domain except as noted" as a (copyright/permissions statement) is compatible with all licenses except for share alike and no derivatives licenses, and it makes it possible to gradually migrate to the Public Domain.

Critique of the CC licenses from the Public Domain standpoint

Not everyone who believes in open content is a supporter of Creative Commons and other open licenses. Here is a critique.

Ultimately, Creative Commons is another form of Copyright.

The Public Domain represents a completely different perspective:

• It emphasizes culture solutions based on ethics rather than law.
• It allows and encourages people to use their own best judgment, rather than negotiate permissions.
• It avoids chains of licenses and the questions of what are the boundaries of a work?
• It filters in people who truly want to share, and filters out those who want control.
• It recognizes that knowledge is worthless outside of context, but wealth is human relationships that are the context, thus orients us around people rather than content.
• It is a genuine solution that encourages genuine respect for licenses and the law.
• In the form of "Public Domain except as noted", it is compatible with all licenses except for "share alike" licenses, and it makes it possible to gradually migrate to the Public Domain.

See Andrius Kulikauskas (ms@ms.lt), Minciu Sodas and Worknets for more information about the Public Domain.

Related critiques

• Non-commercial licenses vs open licenses
• No derivatives clause