Creative Commons is a free licensing system that allows the author of a work to specify how it can be used by others. Creative Commons allows for creative reuse, supporting a thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture.
Creative Commons Licenses are not an alternative to copyright. Rather, the licenses are a legal layer on top of copyright giving others the legal permission to copy and use the work, and allow you to modify the copyright terms to best suit your needs.
All Rights ReservedAll original work is automatically protected under copyright when it's created. As the copyright holder, you reserve exclusive rights to:
Reproduce
Distribute copies of
Publicly display
Perform
Make derivatives of
your work.
Some Rights ReservedCreative Commons open licenses are opted into, and the copyright holder decides to what extent others can:
Reproduce
Distribute copies of
Publicly display
Perform
Make derivatives of
your work.
The critical thing that sets OER apart from cost-free resources is that they have what is colloquially referred to as “open licenses.”
The 5 Rs, or permissions, of OER are:
Retain: permission to own, archive, and make copies of the content
Reuse: permission to reuse content in its unaltered form
Revise: permission to adapt, adjust, modify, and alter content
Remix: permission to combine original or revised content with other content to create something new
Redistribute: permission to share copies with others in its original, revised, or remixed form
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-SA includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY-ND includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
CC0 (aka CC Zero) is a public dedication tool, which enables creators to give up their copyright and put their works into the worldwide public domain. CC0 enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, with no conditions.
Before you apply a CC license or CC0 to your work, there are some important things to consider:
The licenses and CC0 cannot be revoked. This means once you apply a CC license to your material, anyone who receives it may rely on that license for as long as the material is protected by copyright, even if you later stop distributing it.
You must own or control copyright in the work. Only the copyright holder or someone with express permission from the copyright holder can apply a CC license or CC0 to a copyrighted work. If you created a work in the scope of your job, you may not be the holder of the copyright.
The six licenses and the public domain dedication tool give creators a range of options. The best way to decide which is appropriate for you is to think about why you want to share your work, and how you hope others will use that work.
The Creative Commons license chooser will help you walk through steps to decide which license is best for you.
Before using CC licensed work, check the license to confirm permissions and restrictions.
Open Washington's Attribution Builder will help you write and format the license when using someone else's work. As you fill out the form, the app automatically generates the attribution statement for you. You will be able to copy and paste rich text into your work or copy the html to embed into a website.
Not sure how to choose a license or how to identify licenses? Ask an OER librarian for assistance!
Creative Commons licensing information by Creative Commons is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Icons by Font Awesome.