Free Art License logo |
|
| Version | 1.3 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Copyleft Attitude |
| Published | 2007-04-08[1] |
| Free software | Yes |
| GPL compatible | No |
| Copyleft | Yes |
| Website | artlibre.org |
The Free Art License (abbr.: FAL, French: Licence Art Libre) is a copyleft license that grants the right to freely copy, distribute, and transform creative works without needing the author's explicit permission.
The Free Art License recognizes and protects these rights. Their implementation has been reformulated in order to allow everyone to use creations of the human mind in a creative manner, regardless of their types and ways of expression.
While the public's access to creations of the human mind usually is restricted by the implementation of copyright law, it is promoted by the Free Art License. This license intends to allow the use of a work’s resources; to establish new conditions for creating in order to increase creation opportunities. The Free Art License grants the right to use a work, and acknowledges the right holder’s and the user’s rights and responsibility.
The invention and development of digital technologies, the Internet and free software have changed creation methods: creations of the human mind can obviously be distributed, exchanged, and transformed. They allow the production of common works to which everyone can contribute for the benefit of all.
The main rationale for this Free Art License is to promote and protect these creations of the human mind according to the principles of copyleft: freedom to use, copy, distribute, transform, and prohibition of exclusive appropriation.
The license was written in July 2000 with contributions from the mailing list <copyleft_attitudeapril.org> and in particular with Mélanie Clément-Fontaine and David Geraud, lawyers, and Isabelle Vodjdani and Antoine Moreau, artists. It followed meetings held by Copyleft Attitude Antoine Moreau with the artists gathered around the magazine Allotopie: Francis Deck, Antonio Gallego, Roberto Martinez and Emma Gall. They took place at "Accès Local" in January 2000 and "Public" in March 2000, two places of contemporary art in Paris.[2]
In 2003, Antoine Moreau organized a session at the EOF space which brought together hundreds of authors to achieve exposure according to the principles of copyleft with this condition: "Free Admission if free work".[3] In 2005, he wrote a memoir edited by Liliane Terrier entitled Le copyleft appliqué à la création artistique. Le collectif Copyleft Attitude et la Licence Art Libre (Copyleft applied to artistic creation. The Copyleft Attitude collective and the Free Art License).[4]
In 2007, version 1.3 of the Free Art License was amended to provide greater legal certainty and optimum compatibility with other copyleft licenses.[5]