Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images And 3D Models Into The Public Domain
from the kudos dept
Here's some good news for a change. The Smithsonian has just announced Smithsonian Open Access, in which it has released 2.8 million high quality digital images and 3D models into the public domain under a CC0 public domain dedication.
With Smithsonian Open Access, we’re increasing the public’s ability to use millions of digital assets—2D and 3D images and data. Open Access items carry what’s called a CC0 designation. This means the Smithsonian dedicates the digital asset into the public domain, meaning it is free of copyright restrictions and you can use it for any purpose, free of charge, without further permission from the Smithsonian. As new images are digitized, if they are determined to be copyright-free, the Smithsonian will dedicate them as CC0 ongoing.
It appears the plan is to keep adding to the database. The FAQ suggests that it won't just be images and 3D models, but also songs and data sets and much more. And they make it clear that anyone can and should make use of it, without needing to get any permission -- even for commercial use (for some reason, some people still think public domain works can't be used commercially, but that's just wrong).
Since the Smithsonian’s founding in 1846, its mission has been clear: “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” We want to empower people everywhere to participate in that mission with us in new and innovative ways for the 21st century.
Smithsonian Open Access invites you to discover a world where you can learn, research, explore, and create in ways you couldn’t before. By making our trusted collections easier to access and use, we hope to inspire people to build new knowledge to understand our world—past and present.
Another cool part of the project is that they're asking volunteers to help transcribe various scans of books and documents as well to help make everything even more searchable.
There are a growing number of sources of public domain material out there, but having the Smithsonian join in with such a huge chunk of content is a really great sign. The bigger the public domain, the better, but for it to work to spur new creativity, it also needs to be easily accessible, and the Smithsonian is helping out with that in a big, big way.
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Filed Under: copyright, culture, public domain, smithsonian
Companies: smithsonian
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Hello Pacer
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How soon before Getty will start trying to license them?
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And Content ID takedowns will start in 3...2...
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Re: start in 3...2...
Elsevier meltdown imminent?
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"Pamphlet: The Communist Vol IX. No. 4: Unity in Struggle Against Unemployment"
LOL the silly fools, their hopes spring eternal, don't they?
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Huh? Is that one of the things the Smithsonian just released to the public domain or something?
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It's one of the few items in the "collective" process of typing out. Can you imagine selecting such a stinker for conversion? They can do whatever they want, it's not a real government agency, so who cares, but it's still really funny. Commies think they'll rise again, having never even risen.
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"No," whimpered John Smith, before he started tearing at his patchy scalp in anguish, protests rapid-firing from his trembling lips. "No. No. No-no-no-no-no-no-NO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!!"
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Stop. Just stop.
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Ah, the glorious revolution. One day, eh? One day. And the consequence of it, we'll know in time, in China, which is Communist, doubtless it will be just perfect, because how can the government be corrupt, unless the individual runs as a Republican?
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Nice try, Hamilton.
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Nobody needed you to respond, white knight.
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Encore! Encore!
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About. Frelling. Time!!!
Make sure you contact them and give an old fashioned Thank You For Being Sane and Savvy!
I would never, ever, EVER have given a donation to these folks, but now I think I will vote with my dollars (the only valid suffrage method in the US) and hope their charitable balance sheet numbers go up, enough to inspire other insipid institutions of so-called science and progress to join the pitiful but growing ranks of common sense and basic moral propriety. Cheers to you Smithsonian, I didn't think you had it in ya
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And how to search for the cc0 content?
For there be much more in there with restrictions. But, search 'cc0' to get:
Notably 2.6 million < 2.8 million, but who's quibbling ;)
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Re: And how to search for the cc0 content?
Maybe the 2.8M is in hard drive amounts or.... usable bytes due to rounding.
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Re: And how to search for the cc0 content?
if you look at the FIRST LINK techdirt provides, it is to the open access library, and all of the content in the open access library is CC0 based on the FAQ. They specifically don't include anything with outside copyright interests or the smithsonian otherwise does not fully own. I have no idea where you get your assertion that "there be much more in there with restrictions".
If you go to the collections search center as they recommend for advanced search capacity, there is indeed a ton more content, but one of the filters is to explictly limit results to CC0 content. (screenshot)
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Surprise!
Bet the Trump administration didn't see THAT one coming.
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