Artistic license

Artistic license (also known as art licenselo, historical license, dramatic license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial term, sometimes a euphemism, used to denote the distortion of fact, alteration of the conventions of grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by an artist in the name of art.

Etymology

In British English, "license" is a verb, the noun "licence". To a British reader, the article refers to artistic licence.

History

The artistic license may also refer to the ability of an artist to apply smaller distortions, such as a poet ignoring some of the minor requirements of grammar for poetic effect. For example, Mark Antony's "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar would technically require the word "and" before "countrymen", but the conjunction "and" is omitted to preserve the rhythm of iambic pentameter (the resulting conjunction is called an asyndetic tricolon). Conversely, on the next line, the end of "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" has an extra syllable because omitting the word "him" would make the sentence unclear, but adding a syllable at the end would not disrupt the meter. Both of these are examples of artistic license.

Artistic License

The Artistic License (version 1.0) is a software license used for certain free and open source software packages, most notably the standard implementation of the Perl programming language and most CPAN modules, which are dual-licensed under the Artistic License and the GNU General Public License (GPL). The original Artistic License was written by Larry Wall. The name of the license is a reference to the concept of artistic license.

The terms of the Artistic License 1.0 were at issue in a 2007 federal district court decision in the US, which suggested that FOSS-like licenses could only be enforced through contract law rather than through copyright law, in contexts where contract damages would be difficult to establish. On appeal, a federal appellate court "determined that the terms of the Artistic License are enforceable copyright conditions".

The case was remanded to the District Court which did not apply the superior court's criteria (on the grounds that in the interim, the Supreme Court had changed the applicable law). However, this left undisturbed the finding that a free and open source license nonetheless has economic value.

Podcasts:

PLAYLIST TIME:

Artistic License

by: Starting Line

I have the sweetest of sights, you've got to know it
It's turned me sideways
I had some fire in my eyes once you got me going
It's slipping south and out my mouth
Rest easy tonight cuz I'm starting to write it down
Somehow saying the things that your ears won't believe
Is all for the principle
I had the flattest of side, that's all I'm showing
I took those walls off
I am from left to the right, ripped, round, and roaring
From safe and sound to proud and loud
Rest easy tonight cuz I'm starting to write it down
Somehow saying the things that your ears won't believe
Is all for the principle
Rest easy tonight, yeah, cuz I'm starting to, I'm starting to
Rest easy tonight cuz I'm starting to write it down
Somehow saying the things that your ears won't believe
I'll try not to scream if you're trying to sleep
It's all based on the principle




Latest News for: artistic license

Licensing and payment of royalties for performance of copyrighted songs

The Manila Times 22 Mar 2025
Filscap claimed that a commercial establishment owned by COSAC infringed on copyrights of artists under Filscap by playing copyrighted music without a license from Filscap ... license and payment of fees.

Kevin Gates, Jack Harlow, Lil Durk, And Other New Rap Tunes For The Changing Seasons

Vibe Magazine 22 Mar 2025
℗ 2025 Bread Winner Alumni LLC under exclusive license to Artist Partner Group, Inc.; Generation Now/Atlantic; 2025 Alamo Records, LLC/Sony Music Entertainment ... © 2025 Bread Winner Alumni LLC under exclusive license to Artist Partner Group, Inc.

Arizona Supreme Court taps AI avatars to make judicial system more publicly accessible

Journal Gazette 22 Mar 2025
Creative industries are witnessing a rapid shift in process and production, while artists and creators have pushed beyond what was possible just a year ago ... Added to an artist's toolbox, AI tools can facilitate many existing tasks.

5 brilliant book openings that captivated UAE readers: The magic of the first line and how it sets the stage

Gulf News 22 Mar 2025
The first line is the deepest ... “It can be succinct, sharp, and biting, or it can be breezy, with words flowing into one another, depending on the artistic license the author chooses to exercise.” ... There was no possibility of taking a walk that day ... .

The 2025 Global Music Report highlights Nashville's growing influence over industry trends

The Tennessean 21 Mar 2025
In Tennessee, artists — and anyone with exclusive licenses, like labels and distribution groups — can now file civil suits for damages.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate sells rights to late rapper’s music

NME 21 Mar 2025
The estate of The Notorious B.I.G ... READ MORE. The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready To Die’ at 25 ... Notably, name, image and likeness rights are needed to license an artist’s work for films. Known for its role in licensing music for biopics, such as Bob Marley ... .

Historic fantasy 'Assassin's Creed' sparks bitter battles

Oman Observer 19 Mar 2025
The "Assassin's Creed" series of video games is adored for painstaking historic accuracy, but also sparks controversy with heavy use of artistic license -- most recen ....

Theater preview: Dan Froot & Company's Arms Around America

Salt Lake City Weekly 19 Mar 2025
Presented as a live radio show-style production—complete with Froot himself serving as Foley artist for sound effects—Arms ... "We do take artistic license in telling our stories," Froot says.

Historic fantasy ‘Assassin’s Creed’ sparks bitter battles

Taipei Times 19 Mar 2025
AFP, PARIS. The Assassin’s Creed series of video games is adored for painstaking historic accuracy, but also sparks controversy with heavy use of artistic license — most recently with a black samurai in the latest instalment, Shadows ... BLACK SAMURAI ... .

Shekinah Garner says she’s ‘poor,’ asks for help to buy a new house

Monsters & Critics 19 Mar 2025
The mom of one touts her services on her website, advertising her twenty years of experience as a licensed aesthetician. In addition to working as an aesthetician, Shekinah is also a makeup artist and certified airbrush artist.

Events: March 19, 2025

The New Era 19 Mar 2025
open to artists, photos ... Enjoy a carriage ride around town while being entertained by skits based on history and flavored with artistic license before being dropped at the Moyer House for more entertainment.

TheDRSAlien: The Rising Star Redefining R&B and Pop Music with a Unique Artistic Vision

GetNews 18 Mar 2025
His creative journey doesn’t stop there—he is also a licensed barber and is practicing to be a tattoo artist in Pennsylvania, currently honing his craft while balancing his career in music. A Visionary Artist with a Brand Mentality.

God Of War TV Show Writer Says He Gave Up On Trying To Play The Games

Kotaku 18 Mar 2025
But I have a feeling the mythology-inspired source material would be better served with more artistic license, building out the God of War universe in bold new directions rather than just recreating ...

The Truth Behind Thailand’s Full Moon Party in The White Lotus

Time Magazine 17 Mar 2025
Read more ... (Notably, both Boyle and White employed the same artistic license of spurning Koh Phangan’s low-lying topography to instead film amid the more dramatic limestone karst cliffs of Thailand’s western Andaman Coast.). Read more.
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