Just as it sounds, the Creative Commons is a university-inspired free-zone where artists in search of free creative material can search for public domain or donated creative material that won't get them a Cease-and-Desist order in their mailbox the next day.

The brainchild of a group of Stanford University law and technology scholars who think copyright laws are getting too restrictive, Creative Commons is a nonprofit company that made its official launch this week and aims to loosen the barriers put in place by overly zealous copyright enforcers.

With an estimated $900,000 in startup money to draw upon, mostly donated from the Center for Public Domain, the site encourages authors, musicians, filmmakers, and all other types of creatives to donate creative material for free exchange with other artists.

Under present law, anyone wishing to use the creative work of an artist must ask permission and in some cases pay royalties for the duration of that use.

By donating works to Creative Commons, copyright holders can choose not to exercise all of the restrictions on their work that come with copyright law, all in the name of furthering creativity and innovation. It's a place where professionals and amateurs alike can make their work available for copying, modification, and distribution.

Contributors to the site can also dictate the conditions for the use of their work. Copyright holders are also free to sell the work to third parties, but have it remain on Creative Commons for free use.

"If you're making a movie and need still images... If you're building a Web site and need graphics... If you're performing a symphony and need a symphony..." states the Web site. "Creative Commons wants to make it easier for people to offer and find works that are available for creative collaboration."

Or, if you're an unknown artist and just want feedback or exposure, Creative Commons can provide a forum in which to make work available that otherwise might never see the light of day.

The legal and academic forces behind the site, which include cyberlaw and intellectual property experts James Boyle, Michael Carroll, Hal Abelson, Eric Saltzan, and Eric Eldred, also intend to design a licensing process whereby the terms of use surrounding any given creative asset will be clearly defined to the public at large. Calling it the 'Contributors Application,' eventually this type of licensing process, or Commons Deed, could be used on a more general basis, allowing for more widespread use and awareness of creative work and the terms attached to the use of that work.

"It's a way to mark the spaces people are allowed to walk on," said Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor who will serve as chairman of Creative Commons.

Lessig and his colleagues feel that the 1998 extension of copyright law will have a stifling effect on creativity across all mediums. Creative Commons will try and fill the creative gap left in the wake of such laws and provide a safe and legal source where creative material is out in the open and free for the taking, all in the name of creativity.

The site is also working on a search application that will enable artists to search for creative material based on certain criteria, the name of the artist, media type, etc. The search feature will launch by Fall 2002.

Creative Commons attributes its launch and inspiration to fellows and students at Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society, and the Berkman Center for Internet Society at Harvard Law School.