What does CC BY 4.0 allow?
CC BY 4.0 lets you share, adapt, and use a work commercially. You must give appropriate credit, link to the license, indicate changes, retain supplied notices where required, and avoid adding restrictions that prevent others from exercising the licensed rights. No separate permission or fee is required. The license grants you the right to copy and distribute the material, modify it, and build it into larger projects. You also cannot imply the creator endorses you or your use. Preserve the credit information supplied with the work. Creator name, source URL, license name and link, and a note of any changes you make form a practical attribution.
Is CC BY 4.0 Really Free to Use?
CC BY 4.0 is free in the sense that no payment is required. It is not unconditional. The license grants worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive permission for the term of the licensed copyright. You do not sublicense the work. The original licensor offers permission directly to each downstream recipient. The license does not cover patent or trademark rights. It does not override moral, privacy, or personality rights beyond what the legal code states. You need separate permission for those.
What You Can Do With CC BY 4.0 Material
Copy the work in any format. Distribute it, hand it out, post it online, include it in a collection. Modify it: crop an image, edit a text, translate it. Under the 4.0 definition, translation is normally an adaptation. Synchronising music with a moving image is expressly Adapted Material. Format-shifting alone, converting a PDF to EPUB, does not create an adaptation. You may use the work commercially: sell copies, use it in advertising, incorporate it into a paid product. Business, nonprofit, school, or individual, the identity of the user does not decide the issue. What matters is the purpose. CC BY 4.0 carries no NC condition, so commercial uses are allowed.
Share and Distribute
Share unadapted copies with anyone, anywhere, in any medium. You do not need to register the use or notify the creator. A platform or a print publication counts. Keep the credit with the work so downstream recipients can comply.
Adapt and Combine
Create adapted material, a remix, a translation, a mashup. CC BY does not impose ShareAlike: you may choose the terms for your own contributions, provided those terms do not stop recipients from complying with CC BY for the original material. The original work's license notice must remain. If you combine material from multiple sources, check that each source's license allows the combination. ND licenses block sharing adaptations. SA licenses may require a specific adapter's license. Two inputs can impose incompatible terms. Use the official Creative Commons compatibility chart before combining.
Use Commercially
CC BY 4.0 permits commercial use. Sell a product that contains the work. Use it in an advertisement. Include it in a paid course. The license does not limit profit. The attribution requirements still apply. If you embed the work in a physical product, include the attribution in the product documentation, on a label, or on the packaging in a reasonable manner.
Your Attribution Duties Under CC BY 4.0
Credit is the core condition. The official license terms require you to retain, when supplied by the licensor: identification of the creator and designated attribution parties; a copyright notice; a notice referring to the license; a warranty disclaimer; and a URI or hyperlink to the material where reasonably practicable. You must also link or refer to the license and indicate modifications, keeping earlier modification notices. Do this in any reasonable manner for the medium. A popular mnemonic is TASL, title, author, source, license. TASL is not the complete legal text. For 4.0, add an indication of changes and preserve supplied notices.
Crediting Multiple Works
A consolidated credits page can be reasonable for many works if the work-to-credit mapping is clear and the credits remain readily accessible. Academic citation and license attribution serve different purposes. Do both when both apply.
| Action | Permitted Under CC BY 4.0? | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Share unadapted copies | Yes | Provide credit |
| Adapt (translate, remix, edit) | Yes | Provide credit; indicate changes |
| Use commercially | Yes | Provide credit |
| Sublicense the original work | No | Licensor's permission is direct, not sublicensable |
| Imply creator endorsement | No | Prohibited by license terms |
| Apply DRM that restricts downstream reuse | No | May conflict with license |
One Allowed Use and One Disallowed Use
Allowed use: A teacher downloads a CC BY 4.0 diagram of a cell, translates the labels into Spanish, and posts the translated diagram on the classroom website with credit: “Diagram by Marta Silva (CC BY 4.0) via example.com, modified by translation.” The teacher includes a link to the original work and the license deed. This is fully within the license terms.
Disallowed use: A marketing agency takes a CC BY 4.0 photo, crops it, and uses it in a billboard advertisement without any credit or license reference. The agency does not name the photographer, does not link to the source, and does not mention the license. This breaches the BY condition. The license rights terminate automatically. If the agency discovers the breach and cures it within 30 days, rights are automatically reinstated from the date of cure. Liability for the period of violation may still exist.
Common Questions
Does CC BY 4.0 require me to ask permission before using the work?
No. The license grants permission in advance. You may start using the work as soon as you can comply with the conditions, mainly credit. You do not need to contact the creator.
What happens if I fail to give proper credit?
The license rights terminate automatically for the period of the breach. If you cure the breach within 30 days of discovering it, rights are automatically reinstated from the date of cure. You may still be liable for copyright infringement during the violation period.
Can I use CC BY 4.0 material in a product I sell?
Yes. CC BY 4.0 permits commercial use. You may sell copies of the work or incorporate it into a paid product. The credit requirement still applies.
Is cropping or editing a photo an adaptation under CC BY 4.0?
Whether cropping, excerpting, or editing creates an adaptation depends on applicable copyright law. The license does not declare a universal boundary. Translation is normally an adaptation. Music synchronisation is expressly Adapted Material in 4.0. Format-shifting alone is not.
Does CC BY 4.0 cover patents or trademarks?
No. The license applies only where copyright or similar rights require permission. It does not license patent or trademark rights. You need separate permission for those.
Can the creator change the license after I download the work?
No. The licensor may stop distributing the work or offer it under other terms, but cannot withdraw the license from people who already received it while complying with its terms. Dual licensing is permitted.
What should I do if I see a CC BY 4.0 work on a platform with DRM?
The license prohibits imposing effective technological measures that restrict another recipient's exercise of licensed rights. Platforms with DRM or download restrictions may create a conflict. Check the platform's current terms. Do not assume a CC badge resolves that conflict.