{"id":77349,"date":"2025-12-10T16:21:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T16:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/?p=77349"},"modified":"2026-01-27T17:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:06:53","slug":"integrating-choices-in-open-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/2025\/12\/10\/integrating-choices-in-open-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"Integrating Choices in Open Standards: CC Signals and the RSL Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Creative Commons, we\u2019ve long believed that binary systems rarely reflect the complexity of the real world\u2014nor do they serve the commons very well. The internet, like the communities that built it, thrives on nuance, experimentation, and shared stewardship. That\u2019s why we\u2019re continuously working to introduce choice where there has been little, and to advocate for systems that acknowledge the diversity of values and needs across the web. <\/span>CC signals<\/span><\/a> is one expression of that thinking, and lately we\u2019ve been exploring how those ideas can travel into other emerging standards that are shaping the future of the web.<\/span><\/p>\n

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“Studying<\/a>” by Dr. Matthias Ripp, March 2022, CC BY 2.0<\/a>, Flickr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strange Bedfellows<\/b><\/h2>\n

That brings us to Really Simple Licensing (RSL). <\/span>Publicly launched<\/span><\/a> in September 2025, today the RSL Collective releases the RSL 1.0 standard<\/a><\/span>. RSL is an open standard that lets publishers define machine-readable licensing terms for their content, including attribution, pay per crawl, and pay per inference compensation. This is an example of emerging technical systems used by websites to automate compensation for when their digital content\u2014such as text, images, and structured data\u2014is accessed by machines. We\u2019ve been referring to these systems as pay-to-crawl. Think of it as the web\u2019s attempt to answer the question: <\/span>what tools are needed when bots become the biggest readers<\/span><\/i>? If you are new to the concept, we recently published an <\/span>issue brief <\/span><\/a>that breaks it down in plain language.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the surface, Creative Commons and pay-to-crawl systems are strange bedfellows. We have always been a champion of the open web and are concerned about a world where knowledge is harder to access. But we also recognize that responsible, interoperable systems can create leverage where none previously existed. Thoughtfully designed, pay-to-crawl systems may help curb extractive behavior by powerful actors while keeping the web open for everyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attribution + Compensation<\/b><\/h2>\n

In its early version 1.0 draft, RSL included attribution as one condition for machine access and reuse. From the standard:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Attribution-Only License\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

The publisher permits free reuse of the content on its site, provided that visible credit and a functional link to the original source are included.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This is important as one example of more choices given to web publishers beyond the binary <\/span>no access<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>all access<\/span><\/i>. The inclusion of attribution also mirrors some elements of the proposed CC signal\u00a0<\/span>Credit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Y<\/span>ou must give appropriate credit based on the method, means, and context of your use.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Attribution + Reciprocity<\/b><\/h2>\n

But as the CC signals framework recognizes, attribution alone is not enough to address the very present power imbalances between AI developers and the commons. We need new tools that ensure the commons thrives and is sustained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We believe now is the time to act to infuse concepts of reciprocity in standards that are ready for adoption. That\u2019s why we worked with the RSL Collective ahead of the release of version 1.0 to integrate a <\/span>contribution<\/span><\/i> component to the standard, which is described as:<\/span><\/p>\n

A good faith monetary or in-kind contribution that supports the development or maintenance of the assets, or the broader content ecosystem.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This is not about turning access into a tollbooth. It\u2019s about acknowledging that extraction without reinvestment leads to collapse. There is a meaningful difference between paying a fee and giving back. One is transactional. The other is about responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

When AI systems derive immense value from the digital commons, contribution isn\u2019t compensation. It’s participation in the social contract that made that value possible in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contribution could be in the form of:<\/span><\/p>\n