Glossary \

commons (the)
The commons are resources over which there can be no right of exclusion, and are therefore resources which cannot be converted into property. Historically, this has referred to animal grazing rights, although recently knowledge, language and creativity as well as genetic material and ‘human rights’ (amongst other cultural products) are being reconfigured as legally defined commons.

copyleft
A generic term used to designate a plethora of licenses that aim to limit the power of copyright, and enrich the Commons. See Creative Commons and GNU General Public License

copyright
Is the legal right to exclude others from using resources and profit from creative labour. Copyright was developed in the 18th century to give limited protection to authors and publishers from unauthorised copying of a given work. Recently copyright has become a blanket tool (currently extended to the life of the author plus 70 years) for turning creativity into property.

Creative Commons
The Creative Commons are a suite of licenses that extend rights from the author of a work to potential users. Based on the GNU General Public License, Creative Commons Licenses enable others to copy, alter and redistribute a ‘work’ as long as the source is acknowledged, and as long as those rights (to copy, alter and redistribute) are extended to others. Extending these rights to others (share-alike) is the core of Copyleft ideology.   See: http://www.creativecommons.org

Critical Practice
A cluster of researchers convened around ‘knowledge’, ‘creativity’ and ‘practice’ at Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London.

FLOSS
Conventionally, the source code that runs proprietary software – in operating systems like Windows or Macintosh OS – is not released to us, its users. Essentially, we license the code’s functionality from the manufacturer and they own and prohibit access to the code itself. Free, Libre or Open Source Software (FLOSS) is any computer software distributed under licenses (see GNU General Public License or Creative Commons or Linux) that allows others to copy, modify and redistribute the source code.

Free Software
See FLOSS and GNU General Public License

gift
A gift economy is an economic system in which goods and services are given, rather than traded. Receiving a gift triggers the obligation to reciprocate; the counter-gift necessitates a return, and so on, endlessly. Gift economies in the form of communal (see Commons) giving and receiving of resources are almost universally practised – think of a blood bank, or academic publishing. Interest in the gift and the protection of a commons of knowledge, creativity and governance has intensified due to the expansion of property rights through Intellectual Property legislation.

GNU General Public License
The GNU GPL is a revolutionary license for software which guarantees the following freedoms: (Freedom 0) The freedom to run the program, for any purpose. (Freedom 1) The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.  Access to the source code is a precondition for this. (Freedom 2) The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour.  (Freedom 3) Freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits.  Access to the source code is a precondition for this. From the Free Software Foundation: http://www.fsf.org

Intellectual Property (IP)
As the words indicate, Intellectual Property legislation seeks to make property out of the creativity of the human mind; IP refers to a legal entitlement attached to an expressed form of an idea, thought, or creative act. These legal entitlements (see copyright) enable entitlement holders to exercise exclusive control over the use of the IP. Such entitlements are treated as equivalent to physical property and may be enforced as such through law.

Linux
Perhaps the most well known FLOSS software project.  In August 1991 Linus Torvald posted an online request for help with a fledgling operating system he was developing. A month later, he put the code for this system online, enabling visitors to download, run, and suggest or write their own improvements. In 2005 it was the only operating system with a growing user base, written, run and tested by enthusiasts the world over. See http://www.linux.org/.

openness
The structures that organisations typically use for decision-making are closed: individuals are often unaccountable, abuses of power are hard to prevent and knowledge is hoarded. Open organisations attempt to be transparent, accountable, public and truly participatory communities. (Seen Wikipedia as an instance of openness.) See: http://www.open-organizations.org

open source
See FLOSS

software
A code that runs on a computer, and makes the computer a useful tool. An operating system is the most frequently used tool on a computer. Think Windows and Mac OS if you’re a proprietary meanie, and Linux if you’re a FLOSS geek.

Wikipedia
An Open Content encyclopaedia that runs on Open Source software. The wiki software engine enables the collaborative gift-like contribution of content to be put to use as a common encyclopaedic good; contributions are peer reviewed and survive consensually in a real-time democratic process. Wikipedia currently houses one million articles in 105 languages. See: http://www.en.wikipedia.org

A Glossary for Open Congress at Tate Britain, 7th and 8th October 2005

Compiled by Critical Practice, Chelsea College of Art & Design, London