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Unit 4: Copyright - Creative Commons licensing

When content is created copyright on it is automatically assigned under UK law. The creator doesn't need to use the copyright symbol or assert their rights as creator, the very fact that they have given the idea a fixed form means that they own the copyright. You can’t ignore copyright when reusing resources, but you can ensure you stay legal by only using licensed content.

The Creative Commons (CC) licensing movement was set up to enable creators to specify how they would like their content to be used. CC licences are legally binding and internationally recognised. CC licensed content is easy to reuse as the licence states exactly what you can and can’t do with the content. They are made up of five main components which are combined to specify how a resource can be reused:

  • CC = Creative Commons - Signifies a legally binding Creative Commons licence.
  • BY = Attribution - You must cite the original source when reusing content.
  • ND = No Derivatives - You must not alter or change the content when reusing it.
  • SA = Share Alike - You must license your new resource under the same terms when reusing content.
  • NC = Non-Commercial - You must not make commercial gain from your new resource when reusing content.

You will normally find a number of these elements have been added together to produce a licence. Here are some common examples:

  • CC-BY CC-BY lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon a work, even commercially, as long as you credit the creator.
  • CC-BY-SA CC-BY-SA lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon a work, even commercially, as long as you credit the creator and license your new creations under identical terms.
  • CC-BY-ND CC-BY-ND allows redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as the content is passed along unchanged and you credit the creator.
  • CC-BY-NC CC-BY-NC lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon a work non-commercially, as long as you credit the creator.

CC0 – Public domain licence

CC0 There is one CC licence that we have not yet mentioned. CC0, or a public domain licence, lets creators place their content in the public domain so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the work for any purpose without any restrictions. This means that you don’t need to give credit to the creators when you reuse their work and that you can alter it freely. An example of this would be the Open Clipart collection, where you can reuse items without having to even attribute the source.

Creative Commons Licence
SMILE - Copyright by Marion Kelt, GCU is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.