The Creative Commons provides licenses and public domain tools that give content creators a free, simple, and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for creative and academic works; ensure proper attribution; and allow others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.
Creative Commons licenses provide a standardized way to grant the public permission to use their creative work under copyright law. The presence of a Creative Commons license on a copyrighted source lets the reuser know how they can legally do the following:
All CC licenses require that others who use your work in any way must give you credit the way you request, but not in a way that suggests you endorse them or their use. If they want to use your work without giving you credit or for endorsement purposes, they must get your permission first.
You let others copy, distribute, display, perform, and modify your work, as long as they distribute any modified work on the same terms. If they want to distribute modified works under other terms, they must get your permission first.
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only original copies of your work. If they want to modify your work, they must get your permission first.
You let others copy, distribute, display, perform, and (unless you have chosen NoDerivs) modify and use your work for any purpose other than commercially unless they get your permission first.
CC-0 | Public Domain License | |
CC BY | BY: credit must be given to the creator | |
CC BY-SA | BY: credit must be given to the creator SA: adaptations must be shared under the same terms |
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CC BY-NC | BY: credit must be given to the creator NC: only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted |
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CC BY-NC-SA | BY: credit must be given to the creator NC: only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted SA: adaptations must be shared under the same terms |
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CC BY-ND | BY: credit must be given to the creator ND: no derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted |
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CC BY-NC-ND | BY: credit must be given to the creator NC: only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted ND: no derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted |
This library guide is published for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as a substitute for legal advice.