2 II C. Understanding Creative Commons Licenses
Unlocking the secrets of open and creative commons licensing
Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons (CC) is an international non-profit organization providing standardized licenses under copyright law, to help copyright owners efficiently communicate precisely how they intend to make their work available for public use. CC Licenses provide consistent and easy to interpret licenses, using abbreviations and graphic symbols to:
- simplify the process of making copyrightable works available for public use;
- identify which rights the owner intends to share; and
- stipulate any conditions the owner puts upon future uses.
All CC licenses except the Public Domain (Ø) designation requires attribution of the creator or owner of the work. Other restrictions limit use, are optional and may prevent reuse in unintended ways. Care is recommended in selecting license terms.
Licenses give blanket permission for named groups to use copyrightable works in limited ways, preserving all or some of the owner’s rights under copyright law. Licensing is the act of applying license terms to a work, and has legal consequences.
Conditions for licensing include:
- only copyrightable work may be licensed;
- works may be licensed by legitimate rights holders only; and
- once placed in the public domain, works cannot be removed and become ineligible for further claims of copyright.
Open and Creative Commons Licenses are irrevocable.
Copyright owners (rights holders) who wish to make their copyrightable work available for public use may indicate the rights of attribution, reuse, and modification they intend to share by selecting from among the restrictions listed below and either apply a Creative Commons (CC) License or provide license terms in written form, spelling out each of the rights and stipulations. Regardless of how the terms appear, read and follow the license provided. Avoid works without visible license information attached to the work.
This video gives an overview of the process.
License Terms Explained
The rights which the owner may transmit to the public include the rights of:
- attribution (if you must identify the creator);
- copying and distribution (if you can share and how);
- the right to make derivative works (if you may adapt and change); and
- the right to remuneration for use (if user may earn money).
Creative commons licenses and any protections they afford do not exceed those of copyright law.
Attribution (BY)
Enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the author or owner endorses you or your use. Provide a link to the source. All CC licenses except CCØ require attribution. Appropriate formatting for attribution is discussed in the last section of this chapter.
CC BY includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
You can combine a BY source with…. Share Alike, No