From Interoperability to Harmonization in Metadata Standardization - Designing an Evolvable Framework for Metadata Harmonization (pdf) by Mikael Nilsson:

The analytical framework is used to analyze and compare seven metadata specifications, and a
concrete set of harmonization issues is presented. These issues are used as a basis for a metadata
harmonization framework where a multitude of metadata specifications with different character-
istics can coexist. The thesis concludes that the Resource Description Framework (RDF) is the
only existing specification that has the right characteristics to serve as a practical basis for such a
harmonization framework, and therefore must be taken into account when designing metadata
specifications. Based on the harmonization framework, a best practice for metadata standardiza-
tion development is developed, and a roadmap for harmonization improvements of the analyzed
standards is presented.

(emphasis added)

Nilsson will defend his thesis on 2010-12-15, and you can watch (details).

Thinking in RDF is the natural thing to do at Creative Commons, whether modeling license attributes, work registration, or domain-specific descriptions that add value to licensed works. Nice to see in depth academic backing for this intuition.