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Research Department: Scholarly Communication Services

Creative Commons

Creative Commons licenses give everyone from individual creators to large institutions a standardized way to grant usage without requesting permission while remaining under copyright law. From the user's perspective, the presence of a Creative Commons license on a copyrighted work answers the question, "What can I do with this work?" 

Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit global organization that began in 2002, answering the call for less restrictive copyright licenses that allow for more collaboration and creativity on work without waiting decades for it to enter the public domain. The CC organization offers legal tools that help you place the appropriate Creative Commons license on your work.

Creative Commons licensing is the most commonly used way for creators to modify their copyright. With Creative Commons licensing, OER carries the permissions for users to download freely, edit, and share the content to serve all students better.

The licenses are free, and their easy-to-understand language and symbols help creators navigate through the process of selecting how they want their work to be used by others. It is essential to understand that a CC license does not violate copyright and does not replace or mean you are giving up copyright; in fact, CC licensing cannot exist without copyright law. Remember, it takes an "all rights reserved" and makes it "some rights reserved.

License Design and Rationale

All Creative Commons licenses have many essential features in common. Every license helps creators — we call them licensors if they use our tools — retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some use of their work — at least non-commercially.

Every Creative Commons license works worldwide and lasts as long as applicable copyright lasts (because they are built on copyright). Every Creative Commons license also ensures licensors get the credit for the work they deserve. These standard features serve as the baseline, on top of which licensors can choose to grant additional permissions when deciding how they want their work to be used.

Creative Commons licenses give everyone from individual creators to large institutions a standardized way to grant the public permission to use their creative work under copyright law. A Creative Commons license on a copyrighted work addresses the question, "What may I do with this work?".

 

Work-based on "Identifying OER" by SUNY OER Services opens in new window

 

 

THE CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE OPTIONS

 There are six different license types, listed from most to least permissive here:

  

This license allows 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  – You must give credit to the creator 

  

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, 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. The license allows for commercial use.

 CC BY-SA includes the following elements:

  • BY  – You must give credit to the creator
  • SA  – Adaptations must be shared under the same terms

   

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial 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 non-commercial uses of the work are permitted

   

This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial 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 non-commercial uses of the work are permitted
  • SA  – Adaptations must be shared under the same terms

  

This license allows 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 allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes, 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 non-commercial uses of the work are permitted
  • ND  – No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted

   

This license is a public dedication tool, which allows creators to give up their copyright and put their works into the worldwide public domain. CC0 will enable reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, with no conditions.