Yahoo! today unveiled its new Creative Commons Search Beta where you can find content you can "use for commercial purposes" or content that you can "modify, adapt, or build upon".

If you aren't familiar with Creative Commons, it's a "nonprofit that offers a flexible copyright for creative work." Larry Lessig, Chairman of Creative Commons, talks about this new partnership in a guest appearance on the Yahoo! Blog"

"Yahoo! has defined itself as the thin layer of the net that will make the net's community come alive. It's first life made the net findable. Its second life made the net useable. Now Yahoo! will give the net tools to make its community come alive. The mix of extensions announced this past week to an already fantastic base will transform the Yahoo! community into the most exciting mix on the net. I am extremely happy that our work can help make this commons grow."

According to Yahoo!, this search "will help you find content on the Web - text, books, educational material, etc. - that is free to share or build upon.". For example, you can use the Yahoo! Creative Commons Search Beta to find content that you can use to build a website with--and we all know that sometimes it's difficult to find additional content for websites.

Yahoo! has always been about adding human brains to computer algorithms, to create something more than either alone. This innovation is in that line," said Lawrence Lessig, chairman of the board of directors of Creative Commons and a professor of law at Stanford Law School. "By giving users an easy way to find content based on the freedoms the author intends, Yahoo! is encouraging the use and spread of technology that will enable creators to build upon the creativity of others, legally."

The launch of Yahoo! Search for Creative Commons beta is an important step in a broader movement to enable people to find, share and expand content within a new, more flexible set of copyright laws that ultimately enable the creation of a "remix" culture and new generation of creative works. For example, if a user is searching for a specific artist or subject, the results will be limited to relevant information on the appropriate license as well as specific usage rights and conditions. The resulting information can then be used, mixed, or repurposed by students, musicians, writers, educators and other content creators to ultimately create new content.

"Yahoo! Search is focused on providing innovative, useful technologies that enable people to find, use, share, and expand human knowledge," said David Mandelbrot, vice president of search content at Yahoo!. "We are excited to be working with Creative Commons to enable millions of Yahoo! Search users to easily find and use Creative Commons content, and we look forward to helping enable a new generation of creative works based on this new medium."

For general information, visit about Creative commons, visit http://creativecommons.org. To use the Yahoo! Creative Commons Search Beta, visit http://search.yahoo.com/cc

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