Creative Commons Licenses: what you need to know about them

28.11.2023

Creative Commons (CC) is a set of six licenses developed by the Creative Commons organization that allow authors to variably manage the rights to their works depending on the type of license.

CC Licenses were created in order to expand the author's ability to protect their works, to move from standard protection to more flexible regulation. By using CC, the author makes it easier for other users to use his/her intellectual property without any administration on their part. In other words, the author does not have to grant permission for each use.

CC licenses are also not exclusive. The author may continue to license the same content to other users, including for commercial purposes.

But it must be understood that by choosing a CC license, you choose an indefinite and non-revocable license that is valid for the duration of the copyright. If you wish, you can stop distributing your CC-licensed intellectual property and no longer make it available. But those users who already had access can continue to use it under the terms of the CC license for the duration of copyright protection.

CC licenses are most commonly used in the following situations:

1. Internet and Social networks: CC licenses are used for users to post their works (photos, music, videos, etc.) on the Internet. This allows other users to freely use and distribute these works on blogs, websites, etc.
2. Education: Many educational institutions and educational resources use CC licenses to provide free access to educational materials, allowing students to use and share them for free.
3. Research: CC licenses can be used for researchers to publish their research articles and data, allowing other users to freely post, cite or use these materials in scientific publications.
4. Information resources and Heritage: Libraries, archives and cultural organizations often use CC licenses for digital preservation, as well as providing free access to digital collections and cultural heritage.

You can use one of the six CC licenses, namely:

1. Attribution (CC BY);
2. Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA);
3. Attribution-NoDerivs (CC BY-ND);
4. Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC);
5. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA);
6. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND).
    

№	Type of license	The Licensee has the right to “Share" (copy and distribute the material on any medium or in any format)	The licensee has the right to “Adapt" (remix, transform and develop the material)	The licensee is obliged to “Indicate authorship” (provide a link to the license in any reasonable way and indicate whether changes have been made)	Commercial use	The licensee is obliged to comply with the NoDerivatives principle (prohibition on the distribution of the created processing of the work)	The licensee is obliged to comply with the ShareAlike principle (distribution of adapted material under the same license as the original)
1	Attribution (CC BY)	+	+	+	+	-	-
2	Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)	+	+	+	+	-	+
3	Attribution-NoDerivs (CC BY-ND)	+	_	+	+	+	-
4	Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)	+	+	+	-	-	-
5	Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)	+	+	+	-	-	+
6	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)	+	-	+	-	+	-

 

Thus, CC licenses give authors the flexibility to distribute and protect their intellectual property. In addition, the use of CC licenses can promote the free exchange of knowledge and information, as well as contribute to the development of society through access to education, culture and scientific research.

It is important to understand that different CC license options have their own unique conditions, so it is recommended to familiarize yourself with each of them and choose the most suitable for a particular case.