Creative Commons licenses allow you to include materials you did not create in your online presence. Each license option has specific requirements that you must meet to use the material.

• Before You Start: You have a basic understanding of copyrights.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated: Monday, August 22, 2011

Understanding Creative Commons

When you hold the copyright to material, whether it is a photograph, a painting, or even a blog post, you are protected by the copyright laws so you can profit from your creativity. This is a good thing. It encourages people to create art and other works that everyone can enjoy.

Creative Commons is an organization that encourages artists to share their works with more flexibility. They developed a series of Creative Commons licenses that allow artists to keep their copyrights, but also allow others to use and enjoy the copyrighted in materials in ways that the standard copyright laws would not allow. They have created a video that explain the Creative Commons licensing concepts, and why someone would want to grant a Creative Commons license.

Many people mistakenly think that all images on the internet are free for the using. That is not true. Most of the images are copyrighted. However, some of the image have a Creative Commons license, which means that you can use them for free as long as you follow the simple license rules.

For most situations, you are going to be using materials with a Creative Commons license. However, if you want to create something, for example, an ebook or a webinar, you can assign a Creative Commons license to it.

Creative Commons Licensing Options

It’s tough to explain the Creative Commons licensing options because of the specific legal requirements and the wide range of materials that can receive a license. To simplify this discussion, all explanations that follow assume that you want to include a photograph that you did not take in a blog post, and the photograph has a Creative Commons license.

What you can do with the photograph and what you must do in your blog post when you use the photograph depends on the specific Creative Commons license.

• Attribution. You can include the photograph in your blog post, in your newsletter, and on your website as long as you give credit to the photographer. You must follow the specific instructions provided by the photographer, and each photographer can give different attribution instructions.
• Attribution Share Alike. This license builds upon the attribution license. You can use the photograph as long as you give credit to the photographer. But in addition, if you include the photograph in a new work (like a book or ebook), you must also give the new work the attribution share alike Creative Commons license.
• Attribution No Derivatives. This license builds upon the attribution license. You can use the photograph but you must use it without making any changes. The original photograph must be whole and unchanged from the original, and you must give credit to the photographer.
• Attribution Non-Commercial. This license builds upon the attribution license. You can use the photograph in any way you like (including changing it) but you can’t include it in any commercial works and you must give credit to the photographer.
• Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike. This license combines the requirements of the attribution, non-commercial, and share alike licenses. You can use the photograph in non-commercial ways as long as your new work has the attribution non-commercial share alike license and you give credit to the photographer.
• Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives.  This license combines the requirements of the attribution, non-commercial, and no derivatives licenses. You can use the photograph as long you don’t make any changes to it, don’t use it any commercial projects, and give credit to the photographer.

For simplicity, we are talking here about a photograph you want to include in your blog post, but Creative Commons licenses also apply to other common online content, like ebooks, videos, slideshows, and webinars. You may find materials with a Creative Commons license on sites like Flickr, SlideShare, and YouTube.

To fully understand the Creative Commons licenses, you have to understand the basics of copyrights. Copyright law can be complicated, and can’t be fully explained in an article like this. If you need real advice on the legalities involving copyrights, seek an attorney.

Your turn: Have you used an image (or other material) with a Creative Commons license in your website or blog? Share your experience.

Related Articles:

• Blogging: Images and Copyrights
• Finding And Using Creative Commons Content
• Blogging: Images And Copyright
• Getting Your Blog In Print