Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that created a set of simple, easy-to-understand copyright licenses. These are legally enforceable licenses that allow creators to mark a work with permission to make a variety of uses, with the aim of expanding the range of things available for others to share, quote, adapt, and build upon.
Creative Commons licenses do two things:
As long as you obey the terms of the license attached to the work, you can use Creative Commons licensed material without fear of accidentally infringing someone’s copyright.
OU Libraries encourage the use of Creative Commons licenses because they help communicate information about copyright holders’ intentions and thus help everyone know what may be used and what uses would require further permission. They help authors and creators manage their copyrights and share their creative work without losing control over it. Further, Creative Commons licenses facilitate creators’ rights by communicating clearly a contact for permission when appropriate.
Supplementing your existing copyright with a Creative Commons license can help you manage your copyrights and share your works without losing your rights.
There are six core Creative Commons licenses to choose from, each allowing for different kinds of permitted uses for the work in question. A Creative Commons license can be applied to anything covered by copyright law, but are not to be used with computer software.
*For more on CC licenses and how they are used read descriptions on the CC website.
Go to the Creative Commons license chooser website and select the appropriate license. Copy and paste the license into your work.
Microsoft has a CC licenses plug-in that can be downloaded and used to embed CC licenses into Word and PowerPoint documents.
