What are Creative Commons Licenses?
Creative Commons (CC) licenses are a set of standardized legal tools that enable authors, researchers, artists, and educators to share their work with the public while retaining certain rights. These licenses offer an alternative to the traditional “all rights reserved” approach, providing creators with a flexible way to indicate that “some rights are reserved.”
By using Creative Commons licenses, creators make it easier for others to legally use, share, adapt, and build upon their work. This openness supports collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation across academic, artistic, and educational communities.
What are they used for?
Creative Commons (CC) licenses are widely used in academia, education, art, and digital publishing. They:
- Enable free distribution and reuse of works such as research papers, images, music, educational resources, and more.
- Clarify how others may use a work (e.g., for teaching, remixing, translating, or commercial use).
- Reduce legal uncertainty by providing a simple, globally recognized framework for permissions.
- Support the growth of Open Access, Open Educational Resources, and Open Science.
Why do authors apply them?
Authors and creators apply Creative Commons (CC) licenses because they:
- Increase visibility and impact: Works under Creative Commons licenses can reach wider audiences, leading to more citations, recognition, and influence.
- Retain control: CC licenses allow creators to decide which rights they keep and which rights they grant to others.
- Support education and research: Making works openly available helps students, educators, and researchers access and reuse materials without barriers.
What CC licenses can authors apply?
Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow authors to decide how others may use, share, or adapt their work. Explore the licenses below and use the interactive guide to find the best option for your needs.
Others may share and adapt the work for any purpose, including commercial use.
Attribution is required. Users must credit the author and indicate changes.
Others may share and adapt the work for any purpose, including commercial use.
Attribution required. Derivative works must use the same license.
Others may share the work for any purpose.
Attribution required. Modified versions may not be distributed.
Others may share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes only.
Attribution required. Commercial use is not permitted.
Others may share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes.
Attribution required. Derivative works must use the same license.
Others may share the work for non-commercial purposes only.
Attribution required. No modifications allowed. This is the most restrictive license.
Which CC license should I choose?
1. Do you allow commercial use?
2. Do you allow modifications?
3. Should derivatives stay under the same license?
Important Notes
- Truly open: Only CC BY and CC BY-SA are considered truly open because they impose the fewest restrictions on reuse.
- Public domain & exceptions: You do not have to comply with a CC license for elements already in the public domain or for uses allowed by law (e.g., fair use / fair dealing). Always exercise caution and check local regulations.
- No warranties: Creative Commons licenses do not necessarily grant every permission you may need (e.g., publicity, privacy, or moral rights). Always check third-party rights before reuse.
Advice for Using Creative Commons Licenses
- Decide what you want to allow: Consider whether commercial reuse is acceptable (e.g. CC BY or CC BY-SA) or whether you want to prevent modifications (choose NoDerivatives (ND) variants).
- Balance openness and control: More permissive licenses increase dissemination and reuse, while more restrictive licenses preserve closer control but may limit the reach and impact of your work.
- Always give proper attribution: Even under Creative Commons licenses, users must credit the creator. Clearly state your preferred attribution format (e.g. Author Name — Institution — Link).
- Link to the license: When publishing, include a clear license statement and link to the official Creative Commons deed for the selected license.
- Consider machine-readable tags: Add Creative Commons metadata (RDF or HTML tags) so platforms and search engines can automatically detect and display your licensing information.