Commons are resources that belong to everyone and no one. Like air we breathe or languages we speak, they’re shared by communities who maintain them together.
Traditional commons include: - Village forests managed collectively - Fishing grounds with community rules - Irrigation systems maintained by farmers - Public squares where people gather
Digital commons include: - Wikipedia’s encyclopedia anyone can edit - Open source software running the internet - Creative Commons licensed photos, music, and videos - Public domain books, art, and knowledge
The magic of commons: When managed well, they create abundance for all rather than wealth for few.
From Indonesian gotong royong to barn-raising in America, humans have always shared resources. Commons aren’t new—they’re how communities thrived for millennia before everything became property.
Every creation builds on what came before. Shakespeare borrowed plots, jazz musicians riff on standards, scientists stand on giants’ shoulders. Commons ensure future creators have materials to work with.
When resources are common, a student in Papua has the same access as one in Paris. Commons level playing fields that markets tilt toward the wealthy.
Managing commons requires cooperation, creating bonds between people. Whether maintaining village wells or Wikipedia articles, commons bring us together.
Commons protect knowledge and culture from disappearing behind paywalls or with companies. What’s shared survives.
Copyright law gives creators “all rights reserved” automatically. But what if you want to share? What if you want others to use, remix, or build upon your work? Before Creative Commons, this required expensive lawyers.
Creative Commons created simple, free licenses that say “some rights reserved.” Creators choose what freedoms to grant while keeping copyright. It’s like a menu for sharing:
CC BY (Attribution) - Use for any purpose, even commercially - Modify and build upon - Just give credit - Most open license
CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)
- Same as CC BY - Plus: Share derivatives under same license - Ensures
openness spreads
CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial) - Use and modify freely - No commercial use without permission - Popular for educational content
CC BY-ND (Attribution-NoDerivatives) - Share freely - No modifications allowed - Good for opinion pieces, reports
CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike) - Non-commercial use only - Derivatives must be shared alike - Common for educational resources
CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives) - Share only, no changes, no commercial use - Most restrictive CC license
CC0 (No Rights Reserved) - Dedicates work to public domain - No conditions whatsoever - Maximum freedom
Why Share? - Increase impact and reach - Enable
remixes and derivatives
- Contribute to culture - Build reputation - Give back to commons you’ve
benefited from
How to Share 1. Finish your creation 2. Decide what uses you’re comfortable with 3. Choose appropriate CC license 4. Add license notice clearly 5. Upload to platforms supporting CC 6. Watch your work spread and evolve
Best Practices - Use CC license chooser tool - Include license in metadata - Make source files available for remixing - Credit others properly when building on their work - Join communities around your interests
Finding CC Content - CC Search: search.creativecommons.org - Flickr Advanced Search (filter by license) - Wikimedia Commons - YouTube (filter by Creative Commons) - SoundCloud, Jamendo (music) - Many museums and libraries
Using CC Content Right 1. Check the specific license 2. Follow all conditions (attribution, etc.) 3. Credit properly: “Photo by [Name], CC BY 2.0” 4. Link to original and license 5. Note if you made changes 6. Share alike if required
What You Can’t Do - Ignore license terms - Remove attribution - Add new restrictions (unless allowed) - Claim others’ work as yours - Use NC content commercially without permission
Benefits of CC - Increase visibility and impact - Build community goodwill - Enable innovation on your work - Fulfill public mission - Reduce legal complexity
Implementation Steps 1. Develop CC policy 2. Train staff on licenses 3. Audit existing content 4. Choose default licenses 5. Update publishing workflows 6. Communicate changes clearly
CC isn’t about preventing theft—it’s about enabling legal use. Plagiarism remains wrong. CC actually makes attribution clearer and easier to enforce.
You control commercial rights with NC licenses. Many creators find CC increases income through visibility, commissions, and reputation.
Wikipedia proves commons can maintain quality through community standards. Good governance matters more than ownership model.
CC simplifies sharing. Instead of “contact me for permission,” people know exactly what they can do. Less confusion, more creativity.
Emerging issue, but CC is developing preferences signals for creators to express wishes about AI use while maintaining license clarity.
We believe in abundant commons where: - Knowledge flows freely across islands and borders - Creators thrive through sharing, not hoarding - Communities manage resources sustainably - Culture evolves through remixing and reinterpretation - Everyone contributes to and benefits from shared wealth
Our commitment: - All our content is CC licensed - We teach commons principles - We build tools for sharing - We connect Indonesian commons to global ones - We advocate for policies supporting commons
Imagine Indonesia where: - Students access world-class education freely - Artists remix traditional and modern culture - Researchers build on each other’s discoveries - Small businesses use professional resources - Communities preserve and share wisdom - Creativity flourishes without legal fear
This isn’t fantasy—it’s happening now. Every CC license, every Wikipedia edit, every shared photo builds this future. The commons grow with each contribution.
The choice is simple: Lock up culture behind walls, or set it free to evolve. Hoard knowledge for profit, or share it for progress. Build alone, or build together.
At YaTTI, we choose commons. We choose abundance. We choose a future where sharing is the default, not the exception.
Because when we share, we all gain. When we lock away, we all lose.
The commons are calling. Will you answer?
“Milik bersama, kemajuan bersama” (Shared ownership, shared progress)
Start sharing: creativecommons.org/choose