I appreciate this discussion as I have long wrestled with the subject.
We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, but wish to be acknowledged for our own contributions. What makes a creation ours? Consider something controversial.
Photographers claim the photos they make of others for pay still belong to them. Is this true?
If I take photos of people without their knowledge or permission, do the photos belong to me or to them? It IS THEIR IMAGE after all is said and done.
Now consider this: When the USSR came into existence, they claimed that the vast sums of money owed by the Czar were not their debts . . . and they were not!
Reality is whatever is accepted by the majority!
You referred to
http://creativecommons.org/license/
Which was created in 2001. How well have they been accepted, and what will the future hold?
The United States government decided that if we write “Copyright” Name and Date on anything we create, it belongs to us period. Most world governments agreed. They used to require registration but that became too labor intensive and cumbersome to maintain.
It has been said [by “They” ':twisted:'] that if you make over seven changes to an original design you can claim it as your own. The Star Trek theme, for example, was expanded [without giving credit] from a riff in a Spike Jones [None But The Lonely Heart] recording.
Anarchy is not the answer, and with unknown thousands of Fonts out there, fairness can only exist in each of us. Not in some outside power.
Is there anything else I can write to confuse you more?
