Can I combine material under different Creative Commons licences?
You can combine material under different Creative Commons licenses, but only if each license permits what you intend to do. The decisive question is whether any license blocks your activity: sharing unchanged, adapting, or using commercially. If any input carries a ShareAlike (SA) term, the adapter’s license must be the same license or one Creative Commons has officially designated as compatible. Two SA licenses are not automatically compatible. That assumption fails more often than any other single mistake. Before you combine anything, check every input against the official compatibility list. If an input has an ND or NC restriction, stop and confirm whether your planned use is an adaptation or a collection. The rule for each is different.
Distinguishing Collections from Adaptations
The first fork in the workflow is deciding whether your combination is a collection or an adaptation. A collection keeps each work separate and unchanged. Think essays in an anthology, photographs in a gallery, tracks on a compilation album. Each work in a collection keeps its own original license. The collection license does not replace those individual licenses. You do not trigger the SA condition for the collection as a whole because you are not creating adapted material.
An adaptation modifies the licensed work in a way that requires copyright permission. Under the 4.0 legal code, translation is normally an adaptation. Synchronising music with a moving image is expressly Adapted Material. Cropping, excerpting, editing, or combining can create an adaptation, but the boundary depends on applicable copyright law. There is no universal rule. If the combination creates an adaptation, every input’s license must allow adaptation. Any SA input will require a specific adapter’s license.
When ND Blocks the Combination
NoDerivatives (ND) licenses forbid sharing adapted material. If even one input uses BY-ND 4.0, BY-NC-ND 4.0, or an older equivalent, you cannot share the combination as an adaptation. You can make the adaptation for private use. You cannot distribute it under the license. If the combination is a mere collection, each work unchanged, side by side, ND does not block it. A collection is not an adaptation of any single work in it.
| Input Licence | Allowed in Collection | Allowed in Adaptation | Adapter's Licence Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC BY 4.0 | Yes | Yes | Any CC licence (or public domain) |
| CC BY-SA 4.0 | Yes | Yes | BY-SA 4.0 or compatible licence only |
| CC BY-ND 4.0 | Yes | No | Not applicable |
| CC BY-NC 4.0 | Yes | Yes (non-commercial only) | Any CC licence with NC |
| CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | Yes | Yes (non-commercial only) | BY-NC-SA 4.0 or compatible |
| CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 | Yes | No | Not applicable |
Compatibility Workflow: One Allowed and One Disallowed Use
Allowed Use: BY and BY-NC Adaptation
Take a CC BY 4.0 photograph and a CC BY-NC 4.0 essay. Combine them into a single educational poster, an adaptation, and share it only for non-commercial purposes. Both inputs permit adaptation. The BY input requires attribution. The BY-NC input requires attribution and restricts the combined work to non-commercial use. Apply a BY-NC license to the poster. This works because the BY input does not impose a ShareAlike condition that would override the NC restriction, and the NC input does not require ShareAlike. The result is a single non-commercial adaptation that respects both sets of conditions.
Disallowed Use: BY-SA and BY-NC-SA Adaptation
Take a CC BY-SA 4.0 video and a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 soundtrack. Synch them into a new film, an adaptation. The BY-SA input requires the adaptation to be shared under BY-SA 4.0 or an officially compatible license. The BY-NC-SA input requires the adaptation to be shared under BY-NC-SA 4.0 or a compatible license. No license is both BY-SA 4.0, or compatible, and BY-NC-SA 4.0, or compatible. Creative Commons has not designated any license as compatible with both. The two SA conditions conflict. There is no single adapter’s license that satisfies both. The combination cannot be shared as an adaptation unless one of the licensors grants separate permission.
The Role of Version 4.0
Simpler SA Rules
The 4.0 International suite simplifies some of these decisions. All 4.0 licenses require attribution. The SA clause in 4.0 names only the same license version or an officially compatible license as the adapter’s choice. Creative Commons has listed one-way compatibility from BY-SA 4.0 to GPLv3 for adapted material. This does not create a reverse path or a general compatibility between any two SA licenses. If you are working with older versions or jurisdiction-specific ports, check the exact legal code. Version 3.0 SA may reference a different set of compatible licenses than 4.0 does.
NonCommercial Under 4.0
The version also matters for NonCommercial definitions. Version 4.0 defines NC as not primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation. The identity of the user does not decide the issue by itself. A business can sometimes use NC material if the use is not primarily commercial, and a school can sometimes trigger the boundary. If your combination has commercial risk, get separate permission or local legal advice.
What Most Often Goes Wrong
The most frequent failure is treating an adaptation as a collection. A user gathers a BY-SA photo, a BY-NC-SA graphic, and a BY text into a single PDF. They assume it is a collection. They share it under a BY license. The SA condition on the photo and graphic is triggered because the PDF is an adaptation. The works are not separate pages but integrated into one document. The adapter then cannot satisfy both SA requirements, and the PDF breaches both SA licenses. The fix: keep each work as a separate, unmodified file in a clearly labelled folder, or check the SA compatibility list before integrating.
Common Questions
Can I combine a CC BY work and a CC0 dedication?
Yes. CC0 waives copyright and related rights as far as legally possible, so it imposes no conditions. The CC BY work still requires attribution and any other license conditions. The combined work is treated as a collection or adaptation of the BY work, depending on how you use it.
What happens if I combine material without realising one input is ND?
If the combination is an adaptation and you share it, you breach the ND license. Rights under a 4.0 license terminate automatically on breach and are reinstated only if you cure within 30 days after discovering it. The breach also creates possible liability for the period before cure. Remove the adaptation or stop sharing it.
Does a collection need its own CC license?
No. Each work in the collection keeps its own license. You may apply a CC license to the collection as a whole only for the original selection and arrangement, but that does not override the individual works’ licenses. Mark each work’s license separately.
Can I combine CC-licensed material with public-domain material?
Yes, public-domain material has no copyright restrictions. The CC-licensed inputs still require their conditions. The combination does not affect the public-domain status of the original material.
Does SA matter if I am not sharing the adaptation?
No. The ShareAlike condition is triggered only when Adapted Material is shared. If you make the adaptation for private use, you do not need to apply any particular license. Sharing with anyone outside your private circle counts as sharing.
What if one input uses an older Creative Commons license?
The older license still controls that input. You must comply with its exact terms. Version 4.0 licenses are not automatically retroactive; the licensor does not upgrade someone else’s work. Check the legal code of the older version for its SA compatibility list and NC definition.
Can I use a CC-licensed work in a commercial product if the license is BY-NC?
No. The NonCommercial condition restricts the use. Version 4.0 defines NC as not primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. If your product generates revenue, you need separate permission or a different license.