Copyright is about protection, not sharing.
For those of us who make video and audio for the Lowell community and especially those who put work up online Creative Commons is a way for YOU to share your work and enjoy the work of others without sweating the copyright issue.
Creative Commons is not the opposite of copyright... it is an addition to copyright. Copyright says: "I own this work, and no one can use it without my permission."
A Creative Commons license says "I own this work, but others can enjoy it, and maybe even use it in their own work."
You can learn more at the Creative Commons website.
You can't just go and use the latest hit song as the background music for your video productions. Those songs are owned by someone -- the singer, songwriter, their publishing company or record label. That entity holds the copyright to the music, and can determine how it is used. For you to use that music in your own production, you need to obtain permission, and usually pay them a fee.
Fortunately, there are alternative sources for quality, legal music that you can use without restrictions and exhorborant fees. Much of this content is released under a Creative Commons license.