导航|地址|刷新
Sharing Openly, Sharing Globally - Creat…









Skip to content
Languages available aragonés Azərbaycanca Bahasa Indonesia Basque català dansk Deutsch eesti English español Esperanto français frysk Gaeilge galego Hrvatski italiano latviešu Lietuviškai Magyar Melayu Nederlands norsk polski Português Português Brasileiro Română Slovensky Slovenščina srpski (latinica) suomi svenska Türkçe Íslenska česky Ελληνικά беларуская български Русский Українська العربيّة فارسی हिंदी বাংলা 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 한국어


Creative Commons
Menu
Who We AreExpand
Strategic Plan

Team

Governance

Opportunities

Annual Reports & Financials

History

Press


What We DoExpand
Build
Open InfrastructureExpand
CC Licenses

CC Signals

Public Domain

Chooser

FAQs


Implement
the CommonsExpand
Where CC Makes An Impact

Discover the Commons

Resources

Search the Commons


Engage
the PeopleExpand
Training + Webinars

Advocacy

Community

Events



Blog

Support UsExpand
Make a Gift

Open Infrastructure Circle

Donor FAQ


Donate



Sharing Openly, Sharing Globally


Back to front: "Reading Lines 5513 (EMD GP30)" by Gary Todd, here cropped, is marked with CC0; "Chakrasamvara with His Consort Vajravarahi," here cropped, is in the public domain; "Ionized Carbon Atoms in Orion," here cropped, is in the public domain; "Misty Awakening" by Liza Chan, here cropped, is marked with CC0.



Established in 2002, the CC licenses make it possible for everyone around the world to share knowledge, creativity, and culture, legally and freely.







Licenses for the global public good

CC licenses are a global digital public good and part of the essential infrastructure that makes sharing online possible. Today, there are tens of billions of CC-licensed works across the internet, spanning education, science, culture, and art, and more.

CC licenses do more than function legally—they express values. The CC icons, now recognized around the world, represent openness, collaboration, and participation. For example, the CC logo is so ubiquitous it is part of the permanent design collection at The Museum of Modern Art in New York!

Like the public infrastructure we rely on every day – such as roads and public schools – the legal and technical infrastructure behind CC licenses requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and support. Unlike most public infrastructure, however, CC licenses are not funded by taxes or user fees. As a public good, they depend on the support of the community that relies on them.

In the age of AI and mass scraping of openly licensed content, we haven’t seen the kind of reciprocity that’s necessary to sustain the infrastructure of the commons beyond our licenses. We’re currently exploring frameworks to provide licensors with more granular control over machine usage of data.

Become a patron of the commons by donating to Creative Commons.
Donate Today






Used by leading platforms and institutions worldwide





Why Use a CC License

Without CC licenses, copyright offers only two extremes: “all rights reserved” or “no rights reserved.” That doesn’t reflect the many ways creators want their work to be shared.

Creative Commons licenses offer a standardized, legally-sound way to grant permission in advance, so that creators can clearly communicate how their work may be used, without negotiating individual permissions every time. This enables access to knowledge by offering a “some rights reserved” option for content that would otherwise be closed off.

Most creators share a basic belief: that knowledge and creativity grow through sharing, not locking it away.





Creators choose CC licenses for many reasons:

 Share their work widely while keeping credit

Encourage remixing, collaboration, and learning

Reach global audiences more easily

Support open education, research, and culture

Build visibility, reputation, and impact



For the public, CC licenses:

Eliminate legal uncertainty around reuse

Make it easier to find openly usable content

Enable lawful remixing, adaptation, and redistribution

Support education, research, journalism, and creative work

Reduce permission friction across borders




The CC Licenses

There are six different license types, listed from most to least permissive here:



CC BY

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.





CC BY-SA

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under  the same or a compatible license. CC BY-SA includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.

SAAdaptations must be shared under the same terms.





CC BY-ND

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY-ND includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.

NDNo derivatives or adaptations of your work are permitted.





CC BY-NC

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.

NC Only noncommercial use of your work is permitted. Noncommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.





CC BY-NC-SA

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only ifattribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under the same or a compatible license. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.

NC Only noncommercial use of your work is permitted. Noncommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.

SAAdaptations must be shared under the same terms.





CC BY-NC-ND

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only if attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements:

BYCredit must be given to you, the creator.

NC Only noncommercial use of your work is permitted. Noncommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.

NDNo derivatives or adaptations of your work are permitted.



Multilingual Support

The deeds and legal codes of the CC licenses are translated into over 45 languages.
Learn More About CC License Use



Get the latest CC news, updates, events, resources, and more right to your inbox!
Sign up for CC’s Newsletter

Creative Commons
submit

Who we are

What we do

Blog

Support us

Store

Contact

Privacy

Policies

Terms


Contact Us

Creative Commons
PO Box 1866, Mountain View,
CA 94042

info@creativecommons.org

Bluesky

Mastodon

LinkedIn



Subscribe to our newsletter
Subscribe


Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Icons by Font Awesome.


------
导航页 打开网址