Talk given at the CREATe workshop "Research Perspectives on the Public Domain", University of Glasgow, October 11, 2013

1. Organizing the Public Domain
The Case of Creative Commons
Leonhard Dobusch
Freie Universität Berlin
CREATe Research Perspectives on the Public Domain
Glasgow, October 11, 2013

2. Starting Quotes
I will argue that the growth of intellectual property
in recent years has been uncontrolled to the point
of recklessness. (p. 147)
“
David Lange (1981): Recognizing the Public
Domain, Law and Contemporary Problems, 147
The [copyright] law seemed suddenly to
metastasize. (p. 153)
The field of intellectual property can begin to
resemble a game of conceptual Pac Man in which
everything in sight is being gobbled up. (p. 156)
”
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin

3. Shifting Baseline Effects
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
Shifting environmental baselines are inter-
generational changes in perception of the state
of the environment. As one generation
replaces another, people’s perceptions of what
is natural change even to the extent that they
no longer believe historical anecdotes of past
abundance or size of species.
“
”Sáenz-Arroyo et al. (2005: 1957)
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin

4. Shifting Baseline Effect in IP Debate
! We cannot even envision how the much less
restrictive IP regimes have worked
! The perception of what is a “natural” level of
protection has changed
>> Continuous re-organization of the public
domain
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin

5. (Inter-)
National Law
Private
Standards
What is (in) the Public Domain?
Core public domain
works and inventions
(e.g.: rights expired, ideas)
Privileged uses
(e.g. fair use)
Compulsory licenses
and liability rules
(e.g. patents in case of a
national state of emergency)
Open content
licensing
(e.g. Creative Commons, BiOS)
Content that is
widely usable
without restriction
(e.g. Terms & Conditions)
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
See also: Dobusch (2012)

6. (Inter-)
National Law
Private
Standards
Processes of Organizing Public Domain
Lobbying
(e.g.: corporate lobbying)
Protest mobilization
(e.g. Anti-ACTA protests)
Standard setting
(e.g. licenses, technologies)
Constructive
mobilization
(e.g. for the adoption of
certain standards)
Legislative process
(e.g.: corporate lobbying)
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
See also: Dobusch/Quack (2012)

7. Private
Standards
Processes of Organizing Public Domain
Standard setting
(e.g. licenses, technologies)
Constructive
mobilization
(e.g. for the adoption of
certain standards)
(Inter-)
National Law
Lobbying
(e.g.: corporate lobbying)
Protest mobilization
(e.g. Anti-ACTA protests)
Legislative process
(e.g.: corporate lobbying)
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
See also: Dobusch/Quack (2012)

8. Standardizing (for a) Creative Commons
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
! U.S. Non-Profit with network
of 100+ affiliate organizations
! Provides a set of alternative
copyright licenses
Opportunities and challenges of a modular approach:
! License modularity broadens the scope of application
! License modularity leads to incompatibility and thus an
‘imperfect public domain’
! Net-effect of modularity on license diffusion is unclear:
attractiveness of choice vs. smaller pool(s) of works
License modules:

9. Recursivity in the Creative Commons Case
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin
Three dimensions of regulatory recursivity:
(1) Standardizing over time (temporal recursivity): e.g.
license versioning
(2) Standardizing across jurisdictions (recursivity between
global and local): e.g. license porting
(3) Standardizing adoption practices (recursivity between
standardization and implementation): e.g. guidelines

10. Example: Sui Generis Database Rights
(1) Originally – in versions 1.0 to 2.5 – database rights were
simply not mentioned
(2) Version 3.0: all data base rights were waived “to give a
clear signal against sui generis database rights and
against their global proliferation. […] However, eventually
this waiver has slowed down the acceptance of the
licenses specifically at research institutions.” (Interview)
(3) Version 4.0: licenses now explicitly cover database
rights in those jurisdictions that have some
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin

11. Conclusions
The public domain is organized and
continuously (re-)created
! Significant but not always recognized changes
over time
! Recursivity in public law-making and private
standard-setting
Organizing a private public domain depends
on resolving the choice-compatibility-dilemma
Leonhard Dobusch, Freie Universität Berlin

12. Thank you.
Research blog: www.governancexborders.com

13. References
Botzem, S. and Dobusch, L. (2012): Standardization cycles: A process
perspective on the formation and diffusion of transnational standards. In:
Organization Studies, 33 (5-6), 735-760
Dobusch, L. (2012): The digital public domain: Relevance and regulation.
Information & Communications Technology Law, 21(2): 179-202.
Dobusch, L. (2013): Shifting Baseline in Assessing Copyright Regulation? IP as
Conceptual Pac Man! In: Dobusch, L./Mader, P./Quack, S. (2013):
Governance Across Borders: Transnational Fields and Transversal Themes.
A Blogbook. Berlin: epubli, 120-121
Dobusch, L. and Quack, S. (2013): Framing standards, mobilizing users:
Copyright versus fair use in transnational regulation. Review of International
Political Economy, 20(1): 52-88.
Lange, D. (1981): Recognizing the Public Domain, Law and Contemporary
Problems, 147
Sáenz-Arroyo, A., Robert, C. M., Torre, J., Cariño-Olvera, M., and Enríquez-
Andrade, R. R. (2005): Rapidly shifting environmental baselines among
fishers of the Gulf of California. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272,
1957-1962.
Leonhard Dobusch & Elke Schüßler, Freie Universität Berlin