CREATIVE COMMONS LICENCE: THE PANACEA FOR EXCESSIVE AND RIGID COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

Abstract

Copyright law evolved to provide incentives to owners of creative works by granting them limited monopoly over their works and protecting same for a period of time. However, the introduction of copyright over creative works and its subsequent excessive and rigid regime has cause restrictive access to knowledge and information and has consequently lead to ownership and commercialization of knowledge. This has not only limited the right to freedom of expression and access to knowledge, but has also inhibited innovation and development globally. This circumstance gave birth to Creative Commons which came with the goal of helping the knowledge-seeking global citizens to have access to copyrighted works with little or no restrictions using Creative Commons Licence as a legal tool. This work employed the doctrinal methodology and ex-rayed Creative Commons Licence as a Panacea for Excessive and Rigid Copyright protection. It found that copyright protection turned out excessive and rigid thereby inhibits creativity, access to knowledge and information, educational and research materials. It recommended inter alia that copyright owners should embrace and utilise the Creative Commons Licence window to allow people have access to their works with little or no restrictions and that amendments to Copyright enactments aimed at demystifying the strong and rigid copyright protection be made.