In this module we have explored Creative Commons licenses, reusing and revising CC-licensed works, and sharing your own work with a CC license.
Key Takeaways
- Creative Commons licenses are built on top of copyright and work within existing copyright laws. Due to this, creators are able to retain copyright while granting others permission to use their work.
- There are four elements to Creative Commons licenses and these are combined to make up six licensing options. The four elements are Attribution (BY), Share Alike (SA), NonCommercial (NC), and Non Derivatives (ND).
- NonCommercial (NC) is determined by whether the use of work is for commercial purpose, not whether the user is a commercial entity. For example, a for-profit entity could use a work with an NC license if their use is not for a commercial purpose, and a non-profit entity might violate the terms of the NC license depending on the purpose for which they are using the work.
- All six CC licenses require attributing the creator in any reuse of the work; the best practice for attributing CC licensed work is to use TASL (Title, Attribution, Source and License). Works with CC0 do not require attribution, but it can still be a useful practice to do so.
- A collection, where you put together multiple non-modified existing works, does not count as an adaption. This means you could create a collection that includes some works with an ND (non-derivatives) license if you do not make changes to those works that would count as adaptations.
- In order to make your CC-licensed work reusable, provide an accessible format so that it will be easier for other creators to re-use and remix the work.
