The creators of 130 million creative works in 45 countries have chosen the Creative Commons license to protect and share their intellectual property since 2001. The non-profit organisation that runs CC has a lot to be proud of, not least their expansion into science and education.
The impact of the Creative Commons is only now taking hold. Five years in the future, and remember that five years is what we're looking at for PESTLE, this legal mechanism that allows people to designate the level of protection they desire for their creative work will be having a significant impact. And we're not talking anime and garage bands. Academic researchers and scientists have been desperate for a way of sharing their work without losing all their rights, to help colleagues in developing countries (although it actually works both ways--no real need to be patronizing about it, especially when you look at biology). The Creative Commons license provides this.
Sometimes, removing an impediment to progress is more important than coming up with the next big idea. Friction free intellectual property. It's bigger than it sounds.
5 year prediction: The number of patents actually increases by 1% over trend as a result of Creative Commons spreading base knowledge around the world.
This is hugely important. According to WIPRO, the average CAGR in patents has been 3.5% since 1960. This 49 year period is widely regarded as having been a good period for innovation. If the CAGR can increase to 4.5%, it reduces the time needed to double annual patents from 20 years to 15. In all probability, that would mean millions of lives saved through better healthcare technology, hundreds of millions of lives improved due to better products and services, and a healthier and cleaner environment.
Comments