Creative Commons licences

Creative Commons licences (also CC licences) were developed more than 20 years ago to help researchers share their work digitally with other researchers in a simple, standardised way so that others could build on their creative work and use their findings in new works without worry or restriction.

The creator of an original work can permit the use of their work with a Creative Commons licence. In this case, there is a CC licence symbol associated with the work that describes how the work can be used. The creator retains copyright in their work. They only grant permission under certain conditions, for the duration of the copyright period. The creator may have allowed the work to be used as-is, modified, shared, and/or used for commercial purposes. A work can have one or more CC licence terms associated with it.

Before using CC-licenced material, you should check the conditions under which the creator has allowed its use. As a user, you are responsible for using the work in a permissible manner. You should always provide the creator’s name or signature and the CC licence applicable to the work, as well as link to the original work.

There are six different types of CC licence that permit different levels of reuse:

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. 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.
   
   

These licence terms can be added quickly and simply to any material made available online using the Creative Commons icons.

All those making use of Creative Commons licences need to be aware that licences are granted in perpetuity and greater restrictions cannot be added later on. On the other hand, a more permissive licence can be allocated to a work in the future.

For additional information about CC licence symbols and the use of CC licences, visit the Creative Commons website.

It is worth noting, however, that there is material online that has been illegally shared under a CC licence. Ultimately, the user is responsible for determining whether the use is permitted and whether the use of the work complies with the licence terms. 

The Creative Commons website has a portal where you can search content that has been shared under a CC licence.