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Copyright & Fair Use

This guide provides a brief introduction to copyright law and the fair use doctrine, especially in relation to education.

Creative Commons (CC)

According to the CC website, "Creative Commons licenses give everyone from individual creators to large institutions a standardized way to grant the public permission to use their creative work under copyright law."

Types of CC Licenses

CC Licenses are built by combining one or multiple options for what reusers are allowed to do with the material.

CC BY CC BY license

This license allows 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-SA CC BY SA license

This license allows 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 identical terms.

CC BY-NC CC BY NC license

This license allows 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-SA CC BY NC SA license

This license allows 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. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. 

CC BY-ND CC BY ND

This license allows 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-NC-ND CC BY NC ND license

This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. 

CC0 (CC Zero) CC 0 public domain license

CC0 is a public dedication tool, which allows creators to give up their copyright and put their works into the worldwide public domain. CC0 allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, with no conditions.

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Key:
  • "By" symbol for CC licenses BY =  credit must be given to the creator
  • "SA" icon for CC licenses SA =  adaptations must be shared under the same terms/type of CC license
  • "NC" icon for CC licenses NC = only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted
  • "ND" icon for CC licenses ND = no derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted

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Source: "About CC Licenses" (Creative Commons) Creative Commons License
[This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.]