Creative Commons Licenses

Intellectual Property in the Image: Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons (CC) licenses represent a novel set of legal frameworks governing the reuse and distribution of artistic works, introduced for the first time on December 16, 2002, by the non-profit organization of the same name. Founded by Lawrence Lessig, the initial purpose of Creative Commons was to make intellectual property rights more flexible to promote the dissemination and sharing of works in the digital age.

Origins and Purpose:

The design of CC licenses stems from a vision that intellectual property fundamentally differs from physical property, and observations that current copyright laws hinder the free cultural flow. These licenses aim to provide a legal tool that both protects copyright and fosters free cultural dissemination. Inspired by the OpenSource and OpenAccess movements, they provide contract models for making works available online.

Foundational Principles:

CC licenses aim to facilitate the use of works, addressing authors wishing to share their creations, allow reproduction and distribution under conditions, grant additional rights to users, promote the evolution of works, reduce transaction costs, and legalize peer-to-peer sharing.

Summary Table of Creative Commons Licenses:

Name	Abbreviation	Attribution Required	Icon	Remix Culture	Commercial Use
Attribution- NonCommercial	BY-NC	Yes		Yes	No
Attribution- NonCommercial- ShareAlike	BY-NC-SA	Yes		Yes	No
Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivatives	BY-NC-ND	Yes		No	No
No Rights Reserved	CC0	No		Yes	Yes
Attribution	BY	Yes		Yes	Yes
Attribution- ShareAlike	BY-SA	Yes		Yes	Yes
Attribution- NoDerivatives	BY-ND	Yes		No	Yes

Binary Parameters and Combinations:

CC licenses are based on binary parameters such as commercial/non-commercial (NC), modifiable/non-modifiable (ND), and the option for creators of derivative works to choose final licenses/share alike (SA). With these parameters, there are eight possible combinations, but ND and SA conditions cannot coexist. Thus, six valid solutions remain, to which is added a seventh, the CC0 or CC-Zero license, symbolizing the maximum renunciation of copyright within the limits of applicable laws.

For creators and users of media for commercial & non-commercial uses:

How it works:

The author chooses among the seven licenses the one that best suits their work, preserving certain rights while allowing free distribution. The choice of license determines the degree of freedom granted to the public. All CC licenses permit non-commercial dissemination, but only CC0, CC-BY, and CC-BY-SA meet the criteria of a "free cultural work," approved by Creative Commons.

Choosing a License:

The six licenses and the public domain dedication tool offer creators a wide range of options. The best way to choose the one that suits you is to consider why you want to share your work and how you hope others will use it.

Before Granting a License:

Before applying a CC or CC0 license to your work, you should consider several important points:

CC licenses and CC0 cannot be revoked. This means that once you have applied a CC license to your material, anyone who receives it can rely on that license as long as the material is copyright-protected, even if you stop distributing it later.

You must own or control the copyright to the work. Only the copyright holder or someone who has received express permission from the copyright holder can apply a CC or CC0 license to a copyrighted work. If you created a work as part of your employment, you might not be the copyright holder.

How to Apply a CC or CC0 License to Your Work?

Applying a CC license to your work is simple. You just need to choose the CC license that suits you and communicate that choice in a way that makes it clear to people who discover your work. As part of this communication, you should include a link to the license you have chosen.

This could be as simple as a text mentioning the license and linking to it in a copyright notice, like this:

© 2019. This work is licensed under an open CC BY 4.0 license.

...or as complex as integrating the license information on your website using the HTML code associated with the license in question. Use the CC license selector to get the appropriate HTML code.

Conclusion

Creative Commons licenses represent a creative response to the challenges posed by intellectual property in the digital age. They facilitate the reconciliation between copyright protection and the promotion of a free and accessible culture, thus making a significant contribution to the diversity and dissemination of artistic creativity.