How do Creative Commons licences work?
A photographer adds a CC BY 4.0 licence to her portfolio page. She keeps her copyright. Anyone can download, adapt, remix or sell that photo as long as they credit her. That is how Creative Commons licences work: a permission layer on top of retained copyright, granting the public specific rights in advance while the creator keeps everything the licence does not give away.
The Permission Layer And Retained Copyright
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organisation and the steward of standard copyright licences and public-domain tools. It is not a party to an individual licence, does not register works, does not verify ownership, and does not give legal advice. A CC licence operates on top of copyright. The creator retains copyright while granting the public specified permissions in advance.
The licence applies only where copyright or similar rights require permission. Exceptions and limitations such as fair use or fair dealing operate separately. If an exception authorises the use, the licence's conditions do not apply to that use. Their scope varies by jurisdiction.
The Six Licences And The Public-Domain Tools
The Six Standard Licences
The current suite contains six 4.0 International licences. All require attribution. The six are: CC BY 4.0 allows sharing and adaptations including commercial use; CC BY-SA 4.0 adds that shared adaptations must use BY-SA 4.0 or a licence Creative Commons has formally named as compatible; CC BY-ND 4.0 allows sharing including commercial sharing but adapted material may be made for private use only and may not be shared under the licence; CC BY-NC 4.0 permits sharing and adaptations only for NonCommercial purposes; CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 is NonCommercial plus ShareAlike for shared adaptations; and CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 allows NonCommercial sharing of unadapted material only.
CC0 And The Public Domain Mark
CC0 and the Public Domain Mark are not two more licences in that suite. CC0 is a public-domain dedication with a waiver, a fallback licence where waiver is not effective, and a non-assertion promise limited to remaining Copyright and Related Rights. It aims to remove copyright and related-right conditions as far as the affirmer is legally able. PDM changes no rights. It marks material believed to be free of known copyright restrictions worldwide. Neither tool guarantees that privacy, publicity, trademark, patent, contract, cultural-heritage or other law permits a use.
| Condition | What It Requires | What It Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| BY — Attribution | Retain identification of the creator, a copyright notice, a notice referring to the licence, a warranty disclaimer, and a URI or hyperlink to the material. Link or refer to the licence and indicate modifications. | May not imply endorsement. Must remove attribution information if the licensor requests it. |
| SA — ShareAlike | When adapted material is shared, apply the same licence or one officially designated as compatible. Official compatibility list controls. | Do not assume two SA licences are compatible. One-way compatibility from BY-SA 4.0 to GPLv3 does not create reverse compatibility. |
| NC — NonCommercial | Not primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Identity of the user does not decide the issue by itself. | Advertising, sponsorship, fundraising, internal business use and mixed purposes require context. No bright-line rule. |
| ND — NoDerivatives | Sharing adapted material is not permitted. Reproduction in a different format alone does not create adapted material under 4.0. Translation is normally an adaptation. Synchronising music with a moving image is expressly adapted material. | Whether cropping, excerpting, editing or combining creates an adaptation depends on applicable copyright law. |
How The Licence Operates In Practice
Scope And Downstream Offers
Version 4.0 grants worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable permission for the term of the licensed copyright and similar rights, subject to conditions. Downstream recipients receive an offer from the original licensor. A reuser does not sublicense the original material.
Breach, Termination And Cure
On breach, rights under a 4.0 licence terminate automatically. Cure within 30 days after discovery produces automatic reinstatement from the date the violation is cured. The licensor may also expressly reinstate rights. Cure does not erase possible liability for the period of violation. Older versions have different termination language and do not contain the same automatic 30-day mechanism.
Dual Licensing And Separate Permission
The licensor may stop distributing the work or offer it under other terms, but cannot withdraw the licence from people who already received it while complying with its terms. Dual licensing is permitted. Separate permission can waive a condition for a particular user without changing the public CC offer.
Common Questions
Do I need to register my work with Creative Commons?
No registration with Creative Commons is required. The official chooser helps create a notice but does not validate ownership. Only the copyright holder, or someone with express authority, may apply a CC licence.
Can I use a CC-licensed work for commercial purposes?
Check the licence notice next to the work. CC BY and CC BY-SA permit commercial use. CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, and CC BY-NC-ND do not. CC BY-ND permits commercial sharing of unadapted material.
What happens if I break a licence condition?
Under 4.0, rights terminate automatically. Cure within 30 days after discovery produces automatic reinstatement from the date the violation is cured. The licensor may also expressly reinstate rights. Cure does not erase possible liability for the period of violation. Older versions have different termination language.
Can I change the licence on a CC-licensed work?
No. The licence is irrevocable for the term of the licensed rights. You cannot withdraw the licence from people who already received it while complying with its terms. The licensor may stop distributing the work or offer it under other terms for future recipients.
Is CC0 the same as public domain?
CC0 is a public-domain dedication with a waiver, a fallback licence where waiver is not effective, and a non-assertion promise limited to remaining Copyright and Related Rights. It aims to remove copyright and related-right conditions as far as the affirmer is legally able. The Public Domain Mark (PDM) changes no rights and marks material believed to be free of known copyright restrictions worldwide.