Use Creative Commons Licenses

CC Licenses are:

• Legal tools that can be applied to in-copyright creative works which describe the permitted uses beyond those already allowed by copyright
• Non-exclusive - creators and users can enter into other agreements
• Non-revocable - once assigned they cannot be revoked until the copyright term expires, at which point the CC license no longer applies

• All CC licenses are built on top of copyright (i.e. the licensor retains copyright) 
• CC licenses only apply as long as the work is in copyright – once the copyright expires, the work will be in the public domain and CC licenses are no longer applicable
• CC license terms do not reduce, limit, or restrict any rights under exceptions and limitations to copyright such as those under fair dealing / fair use

1. Machine readable code - metadata describing the license terms. This allows CC licensed materials to be found by search engines and other software
2. Human readable commons deed - a plain language explanation along with standardized icons that describes the permitted uses of the license
3. Lawyer readable legal code – the legally enforceable terms and conditions of the license

 Attribution (BY): Attribution (credit) must be given to the copyright holder of the work

 Noncommerical (NC): The work cannot be used for financial gain. 

 No Derivatives (ND): The work cannot be adapted and shared.

 Share Alike (SA): if the work is adapted, it must be shared under the same license​.

The 4 elements in combination make up the 6 CC Licenses.

CC BY

• Attribution must be given.
• This is the license with the least restrictions.

Note: All CC licenses require that attributiont be given, so they all start at CC BY.

CC BY-SA

• Attribution must be given.
• Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

CC BY-NC

• Attribution must be given.
• The work cannot be used for financial gain.

CC BY-ND

• Attribution must be given.
• No derivatives can be shared. 

CC BY-NC-SA

• Attribution must be given.
• Commercial uses are not permitted.
• Any derivatives must be shared under the same license.

CC BY-NC-ND

• Attribution must be given.
• Commercial uses are not permitted.
• No derivatives can be shared.
• This is the most restrictive license.

The Public Domain Label

• Works in the public domain cannot have CC Licenses applied (as the copyright has expired)
• CC has created a Public Domain label that can be applied to works that are known to be free from copyright
• Note this is a label, not a license

The Public Domain Dedication Tool

CC0 (CC Zero) is a public domain dedication tool that allows copyright holders to waive their copyright of a work and dedicate it to the public domain

• CC0 has a legal code, a human readable deed and a machine-readable code
• CC0 is a legal tool, not a license 

Note: In jurisdictions where this is not allowable by law, CC0 provides legal code that allows users to use the work in any way they like anywhere in the world. In addition, the tool includes a promise that the creator will not assert copyright over the work.

Authors/creators who retain copyright of their work can choose to apply a CC License depending on the types of uses they want to allow. 

It is the combination of four elements, Attribution, Noncommercial, Share Alike and No Derivatives, that determines those uses.

Creative Commons Australia has a handy flow chart to help decide on which license meets your needs.

For a deeper dive into the consequences of choosing particular elements, see the license-specific restrictions and obligations section of A Practical Guide to Using Creative Commons Licenses.

If you are including a collection or adaptation or remix of CC-licensed resources, please see Creating collections and adaptations using Creative Commons (CC) licensed works.