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Creative Commons Licensing

A Librarian's (NOT a Lawyer's!) View of Creative Commons Licensing

Creative Commons Intro

Creative Commons Logo

Creative Commons (CC) licenses and tools are essentially protocols that forge a balance between the traditional copyright model where copyright holders have “all rights reserved” and a model with no copyright at all.

CC licensing is a "some rights reserved" model. CC licenses allow people to copy, distribute, and use original content non-commercially. However, the content creators still retain the copyright. This allows the creators to earn credit for their work while also allowing their content to reach a broader range of people.

Every Creative Commons license is valid around the world. However, it is only applicable so as long as the original copyright lasts.

Learn more about Creative Commons Licensing in this LibGuide.

CC License

Badge for Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license
"Creative Commons Licensing" LibGuide by Kris Swank is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The CC license for "Creative Commons Licensing" only applies to materials created by the author that are part of the LibGuide.