Creative Commons Licences
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Describe the four different Creative Commons Licence components.
- Explain why some CC-licensed content might not be considered OER.
As we mentioned in the previous chapter, Creative Commons (CC) licences allow you to explain, in plain language, how your works can be reused. These licences act as explicit, standing permissions for all users.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLcVycFkmtM
Attribution: “Cable Green explaining Creative Commons and OER in 2 minutes [Youtube]” by Global Digital Library is available under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 licence.
The Four Components of Creative Commons Licences
| Attribution (BY) Proper attribution must be given to the original creator of the work whenever a portion of their work is reused or adapted. This includes a link to the original work, information about the author, and information about the original work’s licence. | |
| Share-Alike (SA) Iterations of the original work must be made available under the same licence terms. | |
| Non-Commercial (NC) The work cannot be sold at a profit or used for commercial means such as for-profit advertising. Copies of the work can be purchased in print and given away or sold at cost. | |
| No Derivatives (ND) The work cannot be altered or “remixed.” Only identical copies of the work can be redistributed without additional permission from the creator. |
The four components, or elements, of Creative Commons Licences are expressed using the icons above. These elements can be mixed and matched to create a total of six Creative Commons licences. [1] These licenses are often expressed in graphic form using CC buttons. [2]
The Four “Open” CC Licences
There are strengths and weaknesses to each Creative Commons licence you might apply to your OER. To help you make an informed decision, a short description of each licence that can be applied to OER is provided below.
CC BY (Attribution)
Strengths
- The CC BY licence is the most popular and open licence provided by Creative Commons.
- By requiring attribution and nothing else, your CC BY work will be easy for others to adapt and build upon.
- CC BY is often the default choice for open publications. Youtube uses the CC BY 3.0 licence as their single “Creative Commons” option.
Weaknesses
- Because CC BY allows for easier sharing and adaptation, it also leaves the creator with less power over their work. When you use a CC BY licence, you cannot be certain that your work will remain open or that your work will be reused for projects you support.
CC BY SA (Attribution, Share-Alike)
Strengths
- The CC BY SA combines the openness of CC BY licence with the caveat that an item remains open under the same licence when adapted.
- The CC BY SA licence is the second most popular licence, and the licence used by Wikipedia for their articles.
Weaknesses
- Because the CC BY SA licence requires that adapted content be shared under the same licence, i