Creative Commons: Creative Commons Licenses

Three CC License Layers

      Each CC License includes                                                         

• the legal code (aka, lawyer speak)
• commons deeds (aka, every day speak)
• machine readable version (recognizing the role software plays in sharing, copying, etc.)

Four CC License Elements

There are four components, or elements, that make up the CC Licenses.

  = BY, or attribution            = ND, or no derivatives         

= SA, or share alike          = NC, or non-commercial

Six CC Licenses

The four elements combine into six distinct CC Licenses, which allow you to help users understand the uses you permit for your content. It's important to remember these licenses work in conjunction with copyright law, not as a replacement for it.

Two Public Domain Tools

Creative Commons provides two public domain tools. One allows for creators to dedicate their content to the public domain (CC0) and the other allows for content known to be free of copyright restrictions to be marked as part of the public domain. In either case, no one is claiming copyright over the content. View the public domain tools here.

Exceptions & Limitations

The CC Licenses do not remove, limit, or otherwise change exceptions and limitations to copyright. This includes fair use, fair dealing, or provisions for people with disabilities. If your use of CC Licensed content would be allowed because of an exception or limitation you do not need to comply with its terms and conditions. For more visit creativecommons.org/faq.

Why the CC Licenses Matter

CC Licenses can help you, as a content creator, share how you are comfortable with your work being used. This is particularly important for sharing educational materials openly.

CC-BY

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.

CC-BY-SA

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even commercially. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under the same terms. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.     

CC-BY-NC

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.       

CC-BY-NC-SA

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under the same terms. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.

CC-BY-ND

This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, even commercially. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.

CC-BY-NC-ND

This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form and for noncommercial purposes only. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. Credit must be given to the creator. View license details here.

Legal enforceability is one of the key features of CC licensing. While the licenses are widely seen as symbols of free and open sharing, they also carry legal weight. The legal code was written by lawyers with the help of a global network of international copyright experts. The result is a set of terms and conditions that are intended to operate and be enforceable everywhere in the world.

The legal robustness of the CC licenses is critically important. With the help of its international network of legal and policy experts, the CC licenses are accepted and enforceable, and very few lawsuits have ensued. In the vast majority of cases, the community resolves disputes outside of the courtroom. [1]

[1] "License Enforceability" by Creative Commons.