Creative Commons > Blog > Articles by: Timothy Vollmer
Timothy Vollmer
Timothy Vollmer is Senior Manager for Public Policy. He coordinates public policy positions in collaboration with CC staff, international affiliate network, and a broad community of copyright experts. Timothy helps educate policymakers at all levels and across various disciplines such as education, data, science, culture, and government about copyright licensing, the public domain, and the adoption of open policies. Prior to CC, Timothy worked on information policy issues for the American Library Association in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Information, and helped establish the Open.Michigan initiative.
Timothy's News
New Canadian Report Offers Balanced Recommendations for Progressive Copyright Reform
Earlier this week the Canadian Parliament's Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) released a report with 36 recommendations on the statutory review of Canadian copyright law. The report caps a year-long study, including a public consultation and committee hearings that included a variety of stakeholders. The document makes progressive recommendations that support a … Read More "New Canadian Report Offers Balanced Recommendations for Progressive Copyright Reform"
European Commission adopts CC BY and CC0 for sharing information
Last week the European Commission announced it has adopted CC BY 4.0 and CC0 to share published documents, including photos, videos, reports, peer-reviewed studies, and data. The Commission joins other public institutions around the world that use standard, legally interoperable tools like Creative Commons licenses and public domain tools to share a wide range of … Read More "European Commission adopts CC BY and CC0 for sharing information"
A Dark Day for the Web: EU Parliament Approves Damaging Copyright Rules
Today in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted 348-274 (with 36 abstentions) to approve the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. It retains Article 13, the harmful provision that will require nearly all for-profit web platforms to get a license for every user upload or otherwise install content filters and censor content, lest they … Read More "A Dark Day for the Web: EU Parliament Approves Damaging Copyright Rules"
Europeans should tell Parliament to vote NO to copyright filters
It's the end of the line for the EU's proposed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. The dramatic negative effects of upload filters would be disastrous to the vision Creative Commons cares about as an organisation and global community. The continued inclusion of Article 13 makes the directive impossible to support as-is. Last … Read More "Europeans should tell Parliament to vote NO to copyright filters"
EU copyright directive moves into critical final stage
In September 2018 the European Parliament voted to approve drastic changes to copyright law that would negatively affect creativity, freedom of expression, research, and sharing across the EU. Over the last few months the Parliament, Commission, and Council (representing the Member State governments) were engaged in secret talks to come up with a reconciled version … Read More "EU copyright directive moves into critical final stage"
Join us for A Grand Re-Opening of the Public Domain
On January 1, 2019 in the United States, tens of thousands of new works will join iconic pieces such as Katsushika Hokusai's Under the Wave off Kanagawa as a part of the public domain. Save the date! Please join us on January 25, 2019 for a grand day of celebrating the public domain. Co-hosted by … Read More "Join us for A Grand Re-Opening of the Public Domain"
EU's proposed link tax would [still] harm Creative Commons licensors
In September the European Parliament voted to approve drastic changes to copyright law that would negatively affect creativity, freedom of expression, research, and sharing across the EU. Now the Parliament and Council (representing the Member State governments) are engaged in closed-door negotiations, and their task over the coming months is to come up with a … Read More "EU's proposed link tax would [still] harm Creative Commons licensors"
What's next with WIPO's ill-advised broadcast treaty?
Six years ago we wrote a blog post titled WIPO's Broadcasting Treaty: Still Harmful, Still Unnecessary. At the time, the proposed treaty — which would grant to broadcasters a separate, exclusive copyright-like right in the signals that they transmit, separate from any copyrights in the content of the transmissions — had already been on WIPO's docket for … Read More "What's next with WIPO's ill-advised broadcast treaty?"
New NAFTA Would Harm Canadian Copyright Reform and Shrink the Public Domain
Late yesterday the U.S., Canada, and Mexico reached an agreement on a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement (now rebranded as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or "USMCA") obligates Canada to increase its copyright term by an additional 20 years if the deal is passed. Canada currently observes the minimum term of copyright as … Read More "New NAFTA Would Harm Canadian Copyright Reform and Shrink the Public Domain"
With the European Parliament vote on the copyright directive, the internet lost – for now
Today the European Parliament voted 438-226 (with 39 abstentions) to approve drastic changes to copyright law that, if ultimately enacted, would negatively affect creativity, freedom of expression, research, and sharing across the EU. The Parliament voted in favor of almost all provisions that extend more rights to the establishment copyright industries while failing to protect … Read More "With the European Parliament vote on the copyright directive, the internet lost – for now"