Creative+Commons



Creative Commons is a concept that makes it easier to determine an authors intent for distribution of their work and how it can be used. Creative Commons created a set of user-friendly licences which creators can use to determine how their work can be shared and how you can use it.

To gain a better understanding of what this organization does, it might be helpful to view a brief video explaining the concept.



Creative Commons issues a number of different types of licences. Each licence allows a different level of restriction from no restrictions to limited restrictions.



Make sure you understand how Creative Commons licenses operate.
Before you apply a Creative Commons license to your work, you should make sure you understand how they operate. You can do this by reviewing the FAQ and/or ask specific questions and voice your concerns on our discussion forum. Below is an overview of some of the key elements of the Creative Commons licensing model.


 * How does a Creative Commons license operate? **

Creative Commons license are based on copyright. So they apply to all works that are protected by copyright law. The kinds of works that are protected by copyright law are books, websites, blogs, photographs, films, videos, songs and other audio & visual recordings, for example. Software programs are also protected by copyright but, as explained in the FAQ, we strongly recommend that you do not apply a Creative Commons license to software.

Creative Commons licenses give you the ability to give express permission for others to use your copyrighted works—such as the right of others to copy your work, make derivative works or adaptations of your work, to distribute your work and/or make money from your work. They do not give you the ability to restrict anything that is otherwise permitted by exceptions or limitations to copyright—including, importantly, fair use or fair dealing—nor do they give you the ability to control anything that is not protected by copyright law, such as facts and ideas.

Creative Commons licenses attach to the work and authorize everyone who comes in contact with the work to use it consistent with the license. This means that if Bob has a copy of your Creative Commons-licensed work, Bob can give a copy to Carol and Carol will be authorized to use the work consistent with the Creative Commons license. You then have a license agreement separately with both Bob and Carol.

Creative Commons licenses are expressed in three different formats: the Commons Deed (human-readable code), the Legal Code (lawyer-readable code); and the metadata (machine readable code). You don’t need to sign anything to get a Creative Commons license—just select your license at our ‘License’ page.

One final thing you should understand about Creative Commons licenses is that they are all non-exclusive. This means that you can permit the general public to use your work under a Creative Commons license and then enter into a separate and different non-exclusive license with someone else, for example, in exchange for money. If  something is completely restricted, you will often see this symbol:

This Wiki site is licensed under Creative Commons: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License