What to Consider
Before you decide that you want to apply a Creative Commons license or CC0 to your creative work, there are some important things to consider:
- The licenses and CC0 are irrevocable. Irrevocable is a legal term meaning the agreement cannot be canceled. Once you apply a CC license to a work, the CC license applies to the work until the copyright on the work expires. This aspect of CC licensing is highly desirable from the perspective of reusers because they know the creator can’t arbitrarily pull back the rights granted under the CC license.
- You must own or control copyright in the work. You should control copyright in the work to which you apply the license. For example, you don’t own or control any copyright in a work that is in the public domain , and you don’t own or control the copyright to an Enrique Iglesias song.
Which Creative Commons Licence Should I Use?
The six Creative Commons licenses provide a range of options for creators who want to share their work with the public while still retaining copyright. The best way to decide which license is appropriate for you is to think about why you want to share and how you hope others will use your work.
For example, here are a few questions to consider:
- Do you think people might make interesting new works out of your creation? Do you want to give people the ability to translate your writing into different languages, or otherwise customize it for their own needs? If so, then you should choose a license that allows your work to be adapted.
- Do you want to give away all of your rights in your work so that it can be used by anyone in the world for any purpose? Then you might want to think about using the public domain dedication tool, CC0.
How Do I Apply a CC License to My Work?
Once you’ve decided you want to use a CC license and know which license you want to use, applying it is simple. Technically, all you have to do is indicate which CC license you are applying to your work. However, it is strongly recommend that you include a link (or write out the CC licence URL, if you are working offline) to the relevant CC license deed. You can do this in the copyright notice for your work, on the footer of your website, or any other place that makes sense in the particular format and medium of your work. The important thing is to make it clear what the CC license covers and to have the notice located in a place clear to the public.
Here is an example of a standard attribution on a website, taken from the bottom of the BCcampus, OpenEd website :
Use the CC License Chooser
Creative Commons has a tool, the CC License Chooser, that easily walks you through choosing a license. Simply select the boxes that indicate your preferences, and the chooser will generate the appropriate license based on your selections. Once your license type is generated you will see the text and icon just above the code. This text / link can be copied and pasted onto your work. For web pages the License Chooser generates code that identifies your chosen license. That code can be copied and inserted into your work online. The code helps people find CC marked works when searching. Remember, the license chooser is not a registration page, it simply provides you with standardized HTML code, icons, and license statements.
How to Apply CC0
Like the licenses, CC0 has its own chooser. If you want to dedicate your work to the public domain, you can go to the CC0 Waiver page. Complete the required fields, agree to the terms, and then get the metadata to mark your work with CC0.
Attribution:
Adapted from 4.1 Choosing and Applying a CC License, Creative Commons Certificate for Librarians , Creative Commons, offered under a CC Attribution..