Code of Conduct

Last updated: June 2021

Sonaksha Iyengar, CC BY

All participants, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at our conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organisers, volunteers and Creative Commons staff will enforce this code throughout the event. We are expecting cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe and productive environment for everybody. This Code of Conduct is in addition to your obligation to comply with terms of service governing the platform(s) through which the Summit is conducted.

For concerns regarding the Code of Conduct or any issues, please email summit@creativecommons.org.

Report Code of Conduct violations anonymously.


The Deed (the short version)

The Creative Commons Global Summit is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference at the discretion of the conference organizers.

More Detail (full policy)

Harassment includes verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion; sexual images in public/virtual spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Expected Behavior

Sonaksha Iyengar, CC BY

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:

  • Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.
  • Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
  • Attempt collaboration before conflict.
  • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
  • Be mindful of your fellow participants. Alert the conference organizers if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.

Inclusion and Diversity 

Creative Commons is a diverse, vibrant community that welcomes and encourages participation by everyone, as long as it’s respectful and constructive. All Creative Commons activities, including the Global Summit, should be inclusive and should support our diversity.

Unacceptable Behavior

  • Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
  • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes, language, and/or images.
  • Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
  • Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
  • Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
  • Inappropriate photography or recording. (Please note that sessions will be recorded in the event platform, CC-licensed, and shared by the organizers through official channels. Presenters agree to these terms as part of their application process to present.) 
  • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, but is not limited to, sexualized comments or jokes and unwelcome sexual advances.
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
  • Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.

We expect participants to follow this code of conduct on all channels of communication (including private messages) and platforms related to the Global Summit. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate: this could include giving a warning to the offending party, removing the offending party from the virtual event, and/or a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community without warning.

Reporting

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be safe and happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.

With the move to a fully virtual conference, we recognize the risk for online trolling has increased. This behaviour is unacceptable, and the organizers will be monitoring the various chat platforms associated with the Global Summit and will act decisively and swiftly to end behaviour they deem trolling. Anyone exhibiting trolling behaviour will be immediately kicked out of the conference platform (including Slack). 

You can make a report either personally or anonymously. Reporting personally can be done directly to conference staff at summit@creativecommons.org. Or report anonymously >

Conference staff will assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your participation.

Sponsors and Exhibitors 

Sponsors, donors and exhibitors (including volunteers) are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. Virtual sponsor booths and all sponsor interactions with participants are expected to meet the code of conduct guidelines.


This document draws on: