• Section 19: Teaching, research, private study allowed
• Attribution required
• “Substantial part” not clearly defined → legal uncertainty
• Applies to literary, artistic, and software works

COPYRIGHT EXCEPTIONS IN GHANA

• Section 26: Fair dealing for research or private use
• Lacks clarity on what counts as “scientific research” or “private use”
• Gives rights holders strong control

COPYRIGHT EXCEPTIONS IN KENYA

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSES AND PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR LIBRARIANS IN GHANA, KENYA, AND NIGERIA

Rhoda O. James | CC-BY-SA 4.0

CREATIVE COMMONS AND PUBLIC DOMAIN

UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

WHAT IS THE PUBLIC DOMAIN?

• Works no longer under copyright (expired or waived rights)
• Free for anyone to use, adapt, or share
• Examples: classic books, old music, historic speeches

DURATION OF COPYRIGHT

Nigeria

• Literary/Musical/Artistic: Life + 70 years
• Audio-visual/Sound/Broadcasts: 50 years from first publication

Ghana

• Life + 70 years

Kenya

• Life + 50 years

WHY PUBLIC DOMAIN MATTERS

• Preserves history & culture
• Inspires new creative projects
• Supports education & free knowledge
• Removes legal & financial barriers

Nigeria

• Independence broadcast (1960) – Sir Emmanuel Omatsola
• The Grammar of the Yoruba Language – Samuel Ajayi Crowther (d. 1891)

​

Ghana

• Ethiopia Unbound – J.E. Casely Hayford (d. 1930)

​

Kenya

• Al-Akida and Fort Jesus, Mombasa – Sheikh Mbarak Ali Hinawy (d. 1964)
• Facing Mount Kenya – Jomo Kenyatta (published 1938)

EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS

• Expiration of Copyright
• Nigeria: Life + 70 years
• Ghana: Life + 70 years
• Kenya: Life + 50 years
• Author Dedication (CC0)
• Government Works (laws, court rulings, etc.) Official Gazettes and Legal Instruments: Official publications like the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 and other statutes and legal instruments are not subject to copyright.

HOW WORKS ENTER THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

• Look for CC0 or Public Domain Mark (PDM)
• Tools: Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, Europeana, Smithsonian, etc.

IDENTIFYING PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS

LEGAL NUANCES

• Nigeria: Full free use after expiry
• Ghana & Kenya: “Paying Public Domain” → Fees for commercial use

• Free Knowledge Africa (Nigeria)
• African Digital Heritage (Kenya)
• African Online Digital Library
• Archivi.ng (Nigeria)

DIGITISATION EFFORTS

• Celebrated by:
• Internet Archive
• Free Knowledge Africa
• Public Advocacy Team Nigeria

PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY (JAN 1)

• Remix & mashups
• Adaptations & retellings
• Historical research
• Artistic interpretations
• Educational content
• Digital archiving

CREATIVE USES OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

CREATIVE COMMONS & COPYRIGHT EXCEPTIONS IN AFRICA

(NIGERIA, GHANA, KENYA)

WHAT IS CREATIVE COMMONS?

• Non-profit organisation providing free copyright licenses
• Enables creators to share work legally under chosen terms
• Promotes open access, collaboration, and remix culture

CREATIVE COMMONS AS A MOVEMENT

• Founded in 2001
• Global volunteer-driven network
• Advocates for open licensing & copyright reform
• Supports free sharing of knowledge, education, culture

CREATIVE COMMONS AS A LICENSE

• Allows creators to specify permissions for use, remix, redistribution
• Default for any work = full copyright unless licensed otherwise
• Six license types, ranging from most open to most restrictive

THREE LAYERS OF A CC LICENSE

• Legal Code – full enforceable text
• Human-Readable (Commons Deed) – simplified explanation
• Machine-Readable – metadata for search engines & tech

FOUR CC LICENSE ELEMENTS

• BY – Attribution: Credit creator
• NC – NonCommercial: No profit use
• SA – ShareAlike: Same license on adaptations
• ND – NoDerivatives: No modifications allowed

Historical Significance and Preservation: MARC records were developed in the 1960s by the Library of Congress. They were designed at a time when computer storage was expensive, so the format is very compact and efficient.

TYPES OF CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSES

• CC BY – Most open, credit required
• CC BY-SA – Share under same terms
• CC BY-ND – Share only unchanged
• CC BY-NC – No commercial use
• CC BY-NC-SA – Non-commercial + same terms
• CC BY-NC-ND – Most restrictive

CC VS PUBLIC DOMAIN TOOLS

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• CC licenses provide flexibility & openness
• Must operate within local copyright laws
• Exceptions help in education & accessibility
• Awareness of terms like “substantial part” is crucial

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LICENSE FOR YOUR COLLECTION

• Clarifies legal use
• Enables reuse & remix
• Meets true open access standards

WHY LICENSE POLICIES MATTER

• Purpose of sharing
• Control over derivatives
• Commercial vs non-commercial use
• Compatibility with other licenses

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• CC BY → Max reuse, attribution required
• CC BY-SA → Same license for derivatives
• CC BY-NC → Non-commercial use only
• CC BY-ND → No modifications
• CC0 → Public domain dedication

LICENSE OPTIONS (CC)

• CC BY & CC0 → Highly compatible
• NC & ND licenses → Limited compatibility

COMPATIBILITY TIPS

• Use CC License Chooser tool
• Add license info to your work & metadata
• Link to license deed

APPLYING A LICENSE

• Give credit to creator
• Include title, source, license
• Link to the work & license

ATTRIBUTION BEST PRACTICES

• Wikimedia Commons
• Flickr (CC filter)
• GitHub (code)
• Internet Archive
• Personal site/blog

SHARING PLATFORMS

• Attribute properly
• Link to original
• Follow license terms

ENCOURAGE RESPECTFUL USE

ATTRIBUTION & COMPLIANCE BEST PRACTICES

(CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSING)

ATTRIBUTION IS MANDATORY

All CC licenses (except CC0/Public Domain) require attribution.

No credit = no valid license.

TASL FORMAT

TASL = Title • Author • Source • License

​

Example: "Sunset Over Lagos" by Adaeze Okafor, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

KEEP NOTICES

Always retain:

• Copyright statements
• Disclaimers
• Modification notes (CC 3.0+)

DERIVATIVE WORKS

Be transparent:

• “Adapted from…”
• “Based on…”

ATTRIBUTION PLACEMENT

Reasonable to the medium:

• Near the work (caption)
• Footer/credits section
• Metadata

Zahra Abdulmajid, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

LICENSOR REQUESTS

Honor special instructions:

• Preferred name
• Placement
• Wording

LICENSE DETAILS

State & link license clearly:

Example: CC BY-SA 4.0 → Honor special instructions:

• Preferred name
• Placement
• Wording

REASONABLE EFFORT

You don’t need perfection:

• Include as much info as possible, but CC only asks for a good-faith attempt.

QUICK CHECKLIST (TASL+D)

✅ Title (if available) ✅ License (linked)

✅ Author ✅ Copyright/Disclaimer

✅ Source (URL) ✅ Derivative note (if modified)

IMPLEMENTING OPEN LICENSING

ENABLING ACCESS, INNOVATION, AND COLLABORATION

WHAT IS OPEN LICENSING?

• A legal mechanism allowing creators to grant broad permissions to use, modify, and redistribute work.
• Supports education, culture, science, and innovation.
• Key Point:
• Unlike traditional copyright (“all rights reserved”), open licensing often requires only attribution or share-alike.

LICENSING VS. OPEN LICENSING

Licensing:

• Legal agreement to use intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrighted works, trade secrets) under certain conditions.
• Often involves payment or royalties.

​

Open Licensing:

• Few or no restrictions.
• Allows reuse, redistribution, adaptation — even commercially.

WHO MANAGES OPEN LICENSING?

• Creative Commons (CC) – CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0 (content, data)
• Open Source Initiative (OSI) – MIT, BSD, Apache, GPL (software)
• Open Data Commons & ODI – ODC-By, ODbL, PDDL (data)

WHY IS OPEN LICENSING IMPORTANT?

• Legal Clarity – Clear rules on reuse.
• Access & Equity – Removes barriers, especially in education and research.
• Collaboration – Enables remixing, translation, innovation.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT OPEN LICENSING

• Identify What You Own – Assets & permissions.
• Select an Appropriate License – CC, MIT, GPL, CC0, etc.
• Apply the License – Display + metadata.
• Educate Your Team/Audience – Clarify reuse rights.
• Maintain & Monitor – Track and review usage.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT OPEN LICENSING

• Identify What You Own – Assets & permissions.
• Select an Appropriate License – CC, MIT, GPL, CC0, etc.
• Apply the License – Display + metadata.
• Educate Your Team/Audience – Clarify reuse rights.
• Maintain & Monitor – Track and review usage.

EMBEDDING CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSES IN CATALOGUING SYSTEMS

IMPROVING DISCOVERY, ATTRIBUTION, AND REUSE

WHY IT MATTERS

• Clear permissions for reuse.
• Promotes proper attribution.
• Supports open knowledge sharing.

HOW IT’S DONE

• Embed license info in metadata fields.
• Use MARC records (e.g., MARC 588 field).
• Include license statement + URL.
• Display license visibly in public record.

MARC 588 EXAMPLE

• Example — Catholic University of Zimbabwe (Koha OPAC):
• Record explicitly notes bibliographic record under CC0.
• Shown in MARC view in 500 General Note field.

OTHER APPROACHES

• Dedicated or local metadata fields for licenses.
• OER-specific catalogues with “terms of use” fields (e.g., OER Commons).
• Dublin Core “rights” element for licensing info.

BEYOND METADATA FIELDS

• Include license text + link to CC deed.
• HTML display in public catalogue view.
• Make it human- and machine-readable.

CHALLENGES

• License incompatibilities (SA, ND clauses).
• Legal ambiguity about actual rights.
• Metadata consistency across systems.
• Resource/expertise gaps in developing regions.

WHAT IS METADATA?

• Metadata = Data about data.

Types:

• Descriptive – title, creator.
• Structural – relationships (e.g., chapters).
• Administrative – management info.
• Technical – file format, resolution.
• Rights – usage permissions/licensing.

LICENSE TAGGING

• Adds license info as a visible, machine-readable tag.
• Ensures users know reuse rights instantly.
• Examples: Wikimedia Commons license tags.

EXAMPLES OF LICENSE TAGS

• {{CC-BY-SA-4.0}} – Attribution + ShareAlike
• {{CC0}} – No rights reserved
• {{PD-old-70}} – Public domain (author dead >70 years)
• {{No known copyright restrictions}}

TAKEAWAYS

• Embedding CC licenses boosts trust, discoverability, and legal clarity.
• Use both structured metadata and visible license statements.
• Train staff and maintain metadata quality.

IMPLEMENTING OPEN LICENSING

EMPOWERING ACCESS, EQUITY, AND COLLABORATION

WHAT IS OPEN LICENSING?

• A legal tool that grants permission to use, modify, and share works.
• Often requires only attribution or share-alike.
• Contrasts with traditional copyright’s “all rights reserved.”

WHO MANAGES OPEN LICENSING?

• Creative Commons (CC) – Content & data licenses.
• Open Source Initiative (OSI) – Software licenses.
• Open Data Commons (ODC) & ODI – Data licenses.

WHY OPEN LICENSING MATTERS

• Legal Clarity – Defines reuse rights clearly.
• Access & Equity – Breaks barriers to knowledge.
• Collaboration – Supports remixing, translation, innovation.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT OPEN LICENSING

• Identify Assets – List all works you own or manage.
• Select License – CC for content, OSI licenses for software, CC0 for data.
• Apply License – Display notices & embed metadata.
• Educate – Inform your team & audience.
• Monitor & Review – Track usage & update as needed.

PRACTICAL TIPS

• Always get permission from all rights holders in collaborations.
• Use machine-readable formats for discoverability.
• Maintain a central record of licensed works.

Librarians in Africa are increasingly playing a pivotal role in promoting open access, knowledge equity, and legal reuse of information. With rapidly growing open knowledge movements in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, there is a need to equip library professionals with the skills to understand, apply, and advocate for Creative Commons (CC) licenses and the Public Domain. These frameworks empower librarians to share knowledge legally and responsibly, support open education, and contribute to Wikimedia and other open platforms.

COMMUNITY TRAINING AND ADVOCACY

In libraries, these tools are vital for:

• Supporting open educational resources (OER)
• Facilitating digitisation of archival collections
• Promoting inclusive and equitable access to knowledge
• Navigating copyright complexities
• Expanding content in local languages and contexts’

IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVE COMMONS & PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR LIBRARIES

In libraries, these tools are vital for:

• Supporting open educational resources (OER)
• Facilitating digitisation of archival collections
• Promoting inclusive and equitable access to knowledge
• Navigating copyright complexities
• Expanding content in local languages and contexts’

IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVE COMMONS & PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR LIBRARIES

Nigeria

• Building Open GLAM Community for Sustainable Open Licensing Practices in Nigeria aimed to promote open licensing and Wikimedia projects among Nigerian GLAM institutions. It trained professionals on Creative Commons, facilitated the release of over 100 cultural items on Wikimedia Commons, and created a network of open culture advocates to encourage sustainable digitization and open access practices. Link
• School of Open Launches: Creative Commons has launched "School of Open" events in Nigeria (and Tanzania) in conjunction with Mozilla Maker Party. These initiatives aim to promote open education. Link

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS

Ghana

• Empowering Librarians with OER Awareness: The CC Open Education Platform is funding a project in Ghana focused on raising awareness and utilization of Open Educational Resources (OER) among librarians, faculty, and students in tertiary schools. This includes training on open licensing and building partnerships for OER integration. Link
• The Creative Commons Ghana Chapter celebrated CC's 20th Anniversary with an in-person event that successfully rekindled the community and attracted new members.CC

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS

Kenya

• Kenya boasts an active Creative Commons Kenya Chapter, which partners with libraries for training and advocacy.
• The Kenya National Library Service has collaborated with the African Library and Information Associations (AfLIA) on CC workshops.Link
• Launch of School of Open Africa: The School of Open Africa was formally launched in Nairobi, with the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of ICT of Kenya giving a speech to mark the occasion. This initiative aims to promote open learning across the continent.CC Kenya

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS

THANK YOU!