What do the different Creative Commons license terms mean?

Modified on Tue, 05 Sep 2023 at 06:34 AM

Creative Commons licenses combine terms to form a single license, for example "BY-NC-SA" and "BY-NC-ND". "BY" is a part of every license. For detailed definitions, consult the Creative Commons website. Below is a brief summary:

  • Attribution (BY): You let others copy, distribute, and display your copyrighted work - but only if they give you appropriate credit. All Creative Commons licenses have this requirement.

  • Noncommercial (NC): You let others copy, distribute, and display (and possibly adapt) your work - but for noncommercial purposes only.

  • No Derivative Works (ND): You let others copy, distribute, and display only identical copies of your work - but not translations or other derivative works based upon your work.

  • Share Alike (SA): You let others distribute adaptations, translations, or other derivative works - but only under a license identical to the license that you chose for your work.