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Copyright Guide

A guide on resources for the basics of copyright including fair use, the TEACH Act, Creative Commons and other copyright issues for help in learning more about copyright. Nothing in this guide is to be construed as legal advice.

What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is an international nonprofit organization that provides licenses that allow creators to share their works for free in exchange for appropriate credit. Those who create works can choose an appropriate license to control how that work is used, shared, and built upon. Creative Commons offers 6 licenses with a range of permissions, all of which require attribution to the creator. Creative Commons (CC) has done the work to help content creators easily license their materials with permissions that tell others what can be done with their works.

CC provides an author the flexibility to decide on the level of sharing. Licenses range from allowing anyone to use the material in any medium or format (so long as attribution is given to the creator) to restricting use to noncommercial purposes only. It helps to protects the people who use or redistribute an author's work from copyright concerns.

Over 2.5 billion Creative Commons works exist and are on millions of websites.

Creative Commons Licenses

The Creative Commons licenses, also known as CC licenses, are legal tools that provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use creative work—on conditions of the owner's choice.

creative commons license types

Creative Commons Licenses Chart by California State University, Northridge Library

How to Give Attribution to CC resources

Creative Commons licenses require you to accurately attribute to your source.

CC recommends that you include the resource's

  • Title - Is there a title provided? If so, include it.
  • Author - Who licensed the work? It may be an author's name or it might be an institution or organization.
  • Source - Where can this be found? Include a hyperlink or URL.
  • License - Which CC license was applied to the work you are using? Name and provide a link to the license.

The Creative Commons wiki includes a detailed guide on Recommended Practices for Attribution.

Obtaining a CC License

If you are interested in licensing some of your new material or if you are required to license remixed material under one of the CC SA licenses, the Creative Commons License Chooser can guide you though the process.  You will then need to copy the HTML code and insert it into your website on the pages you wish to license under Creative Commons. For documents, insert a statement with the license and a link to the appropriate license. Creative Commons has a wiki for Marking Your Work With a CC License and also has an extensive Frequently Asked Questions page if you are interested in learning more.