Based in recent studies, this video explains how copyright affects the work of artists and creative professionals and shows how open licenses can be important strategic instruments to promote their work and increase bargaining power in the cultural scene.

The origin of author's rights (copyright) goes back to the emergence of the concept of 'artist' (as we know it in Western societies). The digital revolution and the emergence of the network society have made copyright a central feature of the creative and cultural sector.

Although mainstream narrative suggests copyright is an essential asset for artistic careers and creative businesses, oftenly it does not meet the specific characteristics of cultural work: copyright remains an ambiguous and obscure subject, especially to core creative artists and authors. Open licenses such as Creative Commons become an interesting alternative, as they allow artists and creative professionals to decide autonomously how they wish to share and/or explore their own work.