Creative Commons is a licensing system that an author can use to specify how they allow their work to be used. It was developed to support the ‘open access’ of sharing work – especially research – online in a way that gave authors a say in how it was used and users clarity as to what they could and could not do with it. The Creative Commons, or ‘CC’, licences are represented on websites by symbols that indicate how the work can be used.
There are six different types of licence that permit different levels of reuse:
- CC BY allows a work to be distributed, remixed, adapted and built upon in any medium or format provided accreditation is given to the author.
- CC BY-SA allows a work to be distributed, remixed, adapted and built upon in any medium or format provided accreditation is given to the author. Commercial use is allowed but any adaptions must be shared under the same (CC BY-SA) terms as the original work.
- CC BY-NC allows a work to be distributed, remixed, adapted and built upon in any medium or format provided accreditation is given to the author, but for non-commercial purposes only.
- CC BY-NC-SA allows a work to be distributed, remixed, adapted and built upon in any medium or format provided accreditation is given to the author, for non-commercial purposes only and with the requirement that any adaptations must be shared under the same (CC BY-NC-SA) terms as the original work.
- CC BY-ND allows a work to be copied and distributed in any medium or format but not to be adapted in any way. Commercial use is permitted. Accreditation must be given to the author.
- CC BY-NC-ND allows a work to be copied and distributed in any medium or format but not to be adapted in any way. Only non-commercial uses are allowed. Accreditation must be given to the author.
You can find more information about the CC licence at www.creativecommons.org.