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Overview of Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable you to modify your copyright terms to best suit your needs.

Source: Creative Commons - Open Fullerton | CSUF

Traditional Copyright | Creative Commons | Public Domain

© Traditional Copyright

Works cannot be used, adapted, copied, or published without the creator's permission.
What does it apply to?
- All original work is protected under copyright when it's created.

Creative Commons

Work may be used without permission, but only under certain circumstances.
Creators set rules for the way their work is used.
What does it apply to?
- Only work that creators have chosen to designate as Creative Commons.

Public Domain

Work can be used, adapted, copied, and published, completely without restrictions, no permission needed.
What does it apply to?
- Work published prior to 1923, work by long-dead creators, and work that creators have placed in the Public Domain.

Source: GCF Global

Infographic: Traditional Copyright | Creative Commons | Public Domain
Download the infographic from GCP Global.

Additional Resources

Fair Use Checklist
Use this printable sheet to evaluate your use of materials to determine if it is fair use. The list comes from Columbia University.
Fair Use Evaluation
Wondering if your use of copyrighted material qualifies as fair use? Enter your information into this tool and it will help you decide. If you don't understand fair use, complete the informational module.

Flowchart: Which Creative Commons licence is right for me?
Source: Creative Commons Australia

Best Practices for Attribution
Provides some good (and not so good) examples of attribution.
Choose A License
Contains information on how to choose the appropriate license for your work.
Marking Your Work with CC License
Learn how to mark your work with a Creative Commons license.
Open Attribution Builder
Easily cite open materials. This tool will automatically generate the attribution for you.
Things to Consider Before Licensing Your Work
Outlines things to think about before applying Creative Commons license to your material, or use Creative Commons-licensed materials.

Attribution, CC BY
This is the most open of all licenses offered. Allows others to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Attribution-NoDerivatives, CC BY-ND
This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.
Attribution-NonCommercial, CC BY-NC
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs, CC BY-NC-ND
This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, CC BY-NC-SA
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.
Attribution-ShareAlike, CC BY-SA
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.
CC0 Public Domain Dedication Attribution
By using CC0, you waive all copyright and related rights to a work to the extent possible under the law.

Source: The licenses above and their descriptions come from Creative Commons | About the Licenses.

How To Attribute Creative Commons | Photos
Provides infographics and other informative images describing Creative Commons attribution and licensing.

Using the Library | OER Textbooks and ZTC Courses

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