Can I copy and redistribute Creative Commons work?

You can copy and redistribute a Creative Commons work, but the permission lives or dies on one condition: the NoDerivatives (ND) clause. If the work carries ND, you cannot share an adaptation. Every other 4.0 licence lets you share the exact file, unchanged, for any purpose, commercial or not, as long as you attribute. Before you do anything else, open the source page. Verify the licence version, record the creator and the licence deed URL, check the four conditions in the official terms, and attribute the work in a manner reasonable for the medium.

All six 4.0 licences permit you to copy and redistribute an unchanged file. The permission is worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive. You do not need to ask the creator or register with Creative Commons. The licence applies automatically as long as you follow the conditions.

The differences surface when you adapt, use commercially or combine files. For straight copying, only NC-ND changes the rules: it restricts redistribution to non-commercial purposes. Every other licence lets you share the file for any purpose, including commercial, provided you attribute.

Run this checklist before you share a CC-licensed file. Skipping a step creates the most common failure: a reuser who copied correctly but attributed incorrectly.

Verify The Licence And Version

Open the original source page. Do not rely on a repost, a search thumbnail or a platform filter. Read the exact licence deed and confirm the version number. Version 4.0 is the current international suite. Older versions (3.0, 2.5) use different language for termination and attribution.

Record The Creator, Source URL And Licence Deed

Capture the creator name, the source URL, the exact licence name and version (for example, CC BY-SA 4.0) and the date you accessed the file. Take a screenshot if the use matters; platform terms change. Preserve any warranty disclaimers or exclusion notices the licensor supplied.

Comply With The Licence Condition

Check the licence icon: BY (attribution), SA (share alike), NC (non-commercial), ND (no derivatives). For verbatim copying, ND and NC are the only conditions that can block or restrict sharing. SA does not apply unless you create adapted material. Unchanged files in a collection do not trigger SA.

Attribute In A Reasonable Manner

Under 4.0, you must retain, when supplied: the creator name, a copyright notice, a notice referring to the licence, a warranty disclaimer and a URI or hyperlink to the work where reasonably practicable. Link to the exact licence deed, not just the licence name. Indicate any modifications you made, even a format change. Do not imply endorsement by the creator.

Licence	Verbatim Copying	Commercial Use	Adaptation Allowed	ShareAlike Triggered
CC BY 4.0	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
CC BY-SA 4.0	Yes	Yes	Yes, but adaptation must use BY-SA or compatible	Yes, on adaptation
CC BY-ND 4.0	Yes	Yes	No (private adaptation only)	No
CC BY-NC 4.0	Yes	No	Yes, for non-commercial only	No
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0	Yes	No	Yes, non-commercial adaptation must use BY-NC-SA or compatible	Yes, on non-commercial adaptation
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0	Yes, non-commercial only	No	No (private adaptation only)	No

When ND Blocks Sharing

If the work uses CC BY-ND 4.0 or CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, you cannot share an adaptation. Cropping, excerpting, editing or combining with other files may create an adaptation. Whether it does depends on applicable copyright law. Do not assume cropping is safe. Translation is normally an adaptation under 4.0. Synchronising music with a moving image is expressly Adapted Material. Format-shifting alone, converting a JPEG to PNG, is not an adaptation.

Failure case: you crop a photo to remove a watermark and share it. The result may be an adaptation. Share only the unaltered file, or get separate permission from the creator.

When NC Blocks Your Purpose

NonCommercial under 4.0 means use not primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation. The identity of the user, business, nonprofit, school, individual, does not decide the issue. A business can use NC material in internal training if it does not generate revenue from that use. Advertising, sponsorship, fundraising and mixed purposes require context. No bright-line rule exists. If your use has material commercial risk, get separate permission or local legal advice.

Failure case: you run an e-commerce site and use NC-licensed images for product pages. The use is commercial, even if you do not charge for the image itself. Find a BY-licensed alternative or negotiate a licence with the creator.

When SA Is Not Compatible

ShareAlike requires that adaptations use the same licence or an officially designated compatible one. Two SA licences from different versions are not automatically compatible. Creative Commons publishes a formal compatibility list. Do not assume BY-SA 4.0 and BY-SA 3.0 mix; they may not. The one-way compatibility from BY-SA 4.0 to GPLv3 for adapted material does not turn a CC licence into a software licence and does not work in reverse.

Failure case: you combine a BY-SA 4.0 image with a BY-SA 3.0 image in one document and share the adaptation. You may have created an incompatible work. Licence incompatibility makes the new work unshareable under any CC licence. Stick to material under the same version and condition, or use only BY-licensed works.