Creative Commons & Licensing Terms
Creative Commons & Licensing Terms explains the rules, permissions, and conditions that come with using Creative Commons content. It’s made for creators, educators, nonprofit teams, and digital publishers who rely on open-licensed work for music, images, videos, and writing.
The glossary covers terms like CC BY, CC0, ShareAlike, No Derivatives, Commercial Use, and Hybrid Licensing. Each entry explains what the license allows, what it restricts, and how it applies in real publishing or remixing situations. If you’re using or releasing content under Creative Commons, this page helps you apply the right terms and avoid misusing licensed material.
Core License Types & Conditions
Educational, Non-Profit & Hybrid Uses
Derivative Works & ShareAlike
Core License Types & Conditions
Commercial Use – The dividing line between “BY” and “BY-NC” licenses.
CC BY-NC License – Allows remixing and sharing when no money changes hands and attribution remains intact.
CC BY License – Free to reuse, even commercially, as long as you credit the original creator
Creative Commons – A suite of shareable licenses that let artists pre-grant specific reuse rights.
CC BY-NC-ND License – The most restrictive CC flavor: share exactly as-is, for non-commercial purposes, with credit.
CC-BY-NC-SA License – Lets you remix non-commercially, but any new work must carry the same license and credit the source.
CC-BY-ND License – Permits verbatim sharing, even commercially, if attribution stays and you don’t edit the content.
CC BY-SA License – You can adapt and sell the work, but must keep the same open license and give credit.
CC0 License – Lets creators waive all rights, placing a work in the public domain so users need no permission or attribution.
Educational, Non-Profit & Hybrid Uses
Educational Use – Often falls under “BY-NC” licenses or fair-use carve-outs for classroom screenings.
Hybrid Licensing (Software) – Dual license: open-source for non-commercial use, paid terms for commercial deployments.
Educational, Non-Profit & Hybrid Uses
Flexible Usage Rights – CC mix-and-match clauses give creators granular control over remix, share, and commercial terms.
Derivative Work – Refers to any new creation that is based on, adapted from, or transformed using an existing work.
