Al Jazeera launches free Gaza footage under Creative Commons licence

by Staff, Brand Republic 14-Jan-09, 12:00

DOHA - Al Jazeera is launching a free online service offering its video footage of the ongoing fighting in Gaza to users and TV stations worldwide to download, share and remix.

The website features exclusive Arabic and English coverage produced by the network's correspondents and crews in the Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera has the distinct advantage over Western rivals in that it is the only national network in the Palestinian territory. It has six reporters in Gaza, two working for Al Jazeera English and four working for the more popular Arabic version.

Users can download the broadcast quality footage for their own use provided it is attributed to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera is the first news broadcaster to release its footage under the attribution license, which allows for commercial and non-commercial use.

Mohamed Nanabhay, who headed new media at Al Jazeera and launched the project, said: "As one of the only international broadcasters in Gaza, our coverage of the war has been unsurpassed.

"With the flexibility of the license we expect to introduce our outstanding coverage to an even wider audience across the world. This means that news outlets, filmmakers and bloggers will be able to easily share, remix and reuse our footage."

Al Jazeera, despite its coverage of Gaza, is little seen in the west. The network is largely unavailable in the United States, carried only by cable providers in Burlington Vermont , Toledo Ohio, and Washington DC.

The footage has been released under the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution license. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization dedicated to making it easier for people to share and legally build upon the work of others.

Lawrence Lessig, a professor of Law at Stanford University, founded the Creative Commons organization.

Lessig said: "Al Jazeera is teaching an important lesson about how free speech gets built and supported. By providing a free resource for the world, the network is encouraging wider debate and a richer understanding."