This paper describes issues and opportunities of the Creative Commons licence framework for digital libraries. It briefly describes how trade-oriented copyright has become problematic for digital content. The role of Creative Commons licences are discussed in respect to digital information markets, as well as problems of usage of these licences in respect to current collective rights management practices. Internal organisational structures and challenges of Creative Commons as a « Public Layer Service » are reviewed, describing the frictions and potential of global self-organising movements. Practical use of Creative Commons licences in scholarly information environments and the « Science Commons » project are examined in relation to « Open Access » principles. Finally, it is shown how the digital library infrastructure would benefit from adopting Creative Commons licences, regarding catalogue data and digitised content, arguing that library and heritage institutions should be more pro-active in defining the legal and technical frameworks on which their mission depends so heavily.