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Free Curricula License FAQ

The Free Curricula License (FCL) is designed to encourage Fair Use while preserving the proper citation of the author(s). The FCL will not replace any of the exceptional licenses that are already available such as the GNU Free Documentation License, FreeBSD Documentation License, and the Open Publication License. Rather, the FCL tailors the ideals of Open Source and Free Software to educators.

Many licenses were evaluated before starting work on the FCL. The author(s) looked for the best and worst points of each one, what others thought of them, and ways to improve them for use in education. From that research, the FCL was born.

Upon the finals release of the Free Curricula License, it will cover all needs of those who wish to use it. Two projects that have expressed interest in using the FCL are the GOVIA Project and the OpenSchooling Project.

The Free Curricula License will be beneficial to school systems everywhere.Teachers will be able to use FCL material to create lesson plans, handouts, or a complete curriculum without having to worry about the restrictions of use and sharing.

Q: Why should I use the Free Curricula License?

A: We're not going to say that anyone should use this license. You should only use a license that does what you want it to do for you and if the FCL is the one for you, then so be it. It's your choice.

Q: What benefits does the FCL have over other licenses?

A: It depends. The FCL was created by members of the Open Source Education Foundation, the OpenSchooling project, and OzoneFarm for the purpose of writing curricula for schools, be it a book or another type of information resource. If that is what you wish to write, then this is probably the best license for you. The FCL covers everything you'd find in an on-line document or published document, audio, video, images, and the text itself. By writing works under the FCL you even have a chance to get paid or a free dead-tree copy or a free e-book of it. You are guaranteed credit for your work and, if that's not enough, you can sit back and think of all the thousands of people you help by writing this, then thinking about how it could affect them down the road. Brings a smile to your face:)

Q: What are the drawbacks to the FCL?

A: Well, one major drawback to the FCL it the fact that it wasn't created earlier. Some people may say that it provides too much freedom, but that's a matter of opinion. Isn't freedom something everyone wants anyway? We certainly think so.

Q: Does it cost anything to use the FCL?

A: Just the time it takes you, or your group, to include what the license says to include.

Q: Is it true that I can use any part of a work that is under the FCL in another work that is not?

A: Yes, this is true. Do realize, though, that you can't change the license of those parts without the author's permission. What ever comes from any work that is under the FCL remains under the FCL. Without allowing this, works could be lost, but, with this, parts of the works can survive for others to read.

Q: Why another license?

A: There wasn't a license before this one that reflected the needs for educational works.

Q: Does there need to be a license geared toward education?

A: Absolutely! Without one it would be harder for schools to keep track of what they can and can't do.

Q: Whose responsibility it to enforce this license?

A: Enforcement of Copyright is an issue for the holder of the Copyright. This is generally the author (in a license like this) but can be whom ever the originator of the work designates.

Please direct question and comments on the website to the webmaster all other inquiry's and comments can be made through our web based form or you can contact someone specific via our contact page
Page Last Updated: Thu Jul 25 01:35:25 MST 2002

 
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