Zero Rights: Creative Commons License
Originators can give up all rights to their works through new Creative Commons license provisions.
Various definitions exist for the term "public domain" throughout the world. In the U.S., for example, the general rule is that pre-1923 published works are public domain, unpublished works are under federal copyright for at least the life of the author plus 70 years. In Germany and Austria, the "Gemeinfreiheit" term generally applies to the lifting of copyright from works (artwork and text) 70 years after the death of the author. Public domain and its equivalent German term are, however, subtly different concepts, as is the case in other international contexts.
The Creative Commons project has now reacted to the various loopholes in the "public domain" definition with a new proposal: with CC0 license you waive all copyright and related rights to a work, including databases, in a "no rights reserved" manner. The author or originator thereby gives up all rights to the work and cannot regain them.
A FAQ prepared by Creative Commons indicates that a legal difference exists between CC0 and public domain. As to a question about the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication and Certification (PDDC) process, "The PDDC was intended to serve two purposes – to allow copyright holders to 'dedicate' a work to the public domain, and to allow people to 'certify' a work as being in the public domain." Creative Commons admits this dual purpose could lead to confusion, hence the single-purpose CC0 dedication tool.
Creative Commons promotes CC0's use because it refers to the "waiving" of rights and is supposedly more legally robust internationally (read "universal") than the PDDC, which is based more on U.S. laws that don't necessarily apply outside the U.S.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.