My name is Yi-hsuan. I joined CC Taiwan (CC TW) in August 2004. Since then, I had mainly been responsible for producing the drafts of Traditional Chinese version of CC licenses, from version 2.5, 3.0, up to 4.0. I had also helped collect and organize community feedback whenever a new version of CC licenses was released.

Over the years, several experiences have left a lasting impression on me. One of them was when CC TW invited experts from various fields to discuss how to localize the term “Creative Commons”, helping the local public better understand and remember it. After many discussions, we decided to add two Traditional Chinese characters — 創 (chuang, meaning “creation”) and 用 (yong, meaning “public use” and “participation”) — in front of “CC” [to form the local term “創用 CC” for “Creative Commons”]. This experience shows how much effort CC TW put into promoting CC — even down to a single term.

Another memorable experience came not long after CC licenses were introduced in Taiwan. CC TW received an invitation to present CC licenses and their core concepts to the Chief of the Copyright Division at Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). This demonstrated the high-level attention CC licenses received in Taiwan. In fact, the “Topic Research” section on TIPO’s website has been released under CC licenses since 2001 (see https://www.tipo.gov.tw/tw/copyright/736.html).

To me, CC licenses could be considered as a way to loosen the constraints of traditional copyright laws. Through participating in the localization and promotion of CC licenses in Taiwan over the years, I have witnessed how grassroots power successfully coalesced to change the way people comply with copyright laws.

No matter how many years have gone by, I always believe that a single act of kindness can inspire countless others — just like the core spirit of CC licenses: Sharing!