What are Creative Commons Licenses?
Open educational resources, like all intellectual property, are subject to the laws of copyright. But some creators would rather share their work than reserve all of their rights for themselves. Creative Commons has created tools that allow creators of copyrightable work the ability to reserve their work within the framework of copyright laws as they currently exist. Creative Commons licenses are real, legal licenses that help creators retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work.
Watch the video below to learn more about Creative Commons.
Creative Commons License Elements, Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand, CC 3.0 New Zealand
Types of Licenses
Creative Commons has several licenses, including one for Public Domain. In the chart below, note the licenses that are best suited for educational purposes.
How do Copyright, OER, and Creative Commons work together?
Open educational resources, like all intellectual property, are subject to the laws of copyright. But some creators would rather share their work than reserve all of their rights for themselves. Creative Commons has created tools that allow creators of copyrightable work the ability to do this within the framework of copyright laws as they exist now. Creative Commons licenses are real, legal licenses that help creators retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work.
Recommended Practices for Creative Commons Attribution
Creative Commons allows you to use CC-licensed materials as long as you provide attribution of the original source. The format follows the format: Title, Author, Source, License, or TASL.
Title: What is the name of the work?
Author: Who allows you to use the work?
Source: Where can people find the work?
License: How can you use the work?
When providing attribution for your own work, include the following in the order presented:
Title, Author, Source [a link to or notice regarding where your work can be found], license [The specific CC license you've chosen for your work, including the version and a link to the legal code].
Examples:
“Art 1631 Figure Drawing & Art 2010 Intro to Printmaking: Mindfulness Bookmark.” Terri Smith. Unit 3: Anatomy of a CC License. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
When using an image that has been created or distributed under Creative Commons licensing, utilize the template below:
Title [hyperlinked to source] Creator, License information [hyperlinked]
Example:
New York City Public Library Front, Melanzane1013, CC BY-SA 2.0