I have just been reading about the overwhelming area of Creative Commons (CC)and my initial thoughts are “Wow! This is huge and complicated!” In this post I would like to unpack what is meant by CC and how the different licenses are built.

When something is created, it is automatically covered by copyright. This allows the creator to say who can share and reuse their creation. However, permission from the creator needs to be sought by the sharer on each occasion for the creation to be shared or distributed and this can be tedious for the creator. So, what’s the solution?

The answer is, Creative Commons.

“Creative Commons is a world-wide non-profit organisation that provides copyright owners with free licences allowing them to share, reuse and remix their material, legally” (Creative Commons Australia). CC does not mean the creator relinquishes the copyright on their creation. It simply means that it can be reused, remixed and shared legally. This licensing allows other to use works without having a seek permission from the creator each time the work is used. CCs all have baseline permissions and then there are four elements that are used to tailor the license to create six standard CC licenses.

Baseline permissions:

This allows the material to be copied, distributed, displayed and performed. This applies to all CC licenses. The baseline permission can be tailored using the four elements, outlined below.

Attribution (by):

The creator must be credited when the creation is shared.

Noncommercial:

The creation can be used for education and not-for-profit events. Creations cannot be used for profit or advertising.

No Derivative Works:

The creation cannot be changed or altered in any way. It can only be shared in its original format.

Share alike:

Alterations can be made to the creation, but when it is shared it must have the same licensing terms as the original creation.

These baseline permissions and elements can be combined to create the six different licenses.

It must be noted that Share Alike and No Derivative Works cannot be on the same license. This is because they are opposing elements. One gives permission for the creation to be altered, while the other does not.

A great overview of the different licenses is available here

I had previously heard of Creative Commons but hadn’t delved into the details. I always just thought that anything could be shared so long as it was properly referenced. As the teacher librarian, this is something that would need to be understood to help ensure the school is not in breach of copyright.