Finding And Using Creative Commons Content

Charlene Kingston — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:37 +0000

It’s easy to find images online with Creative Commons licenses. You can use advanced search options on many media websites to find items with a Creative Commons license. You can also use the Creative Commons search to find images on sites like Flickr and Google with a specific Creative Commons license.

Before You Start: You have a basic understanding of image copyrights and the Creative Commons licenses.
Learning Level: 3 | Building Skills
Article Last Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Creative Commons Licensed Media

Many types of media get the Creative Commons licensing including ebooks, articles, photographs, illustrations, music, and video clips. There are several places where you can find media online that have the appropriate Creative Commons license for your project. Each of these advanced search forms include options for Creative Commons licenses to help narrow your search.

Google (web) – usage rights option
Google (image) – usage rights option
Yahoo! (image) – Creative Commons license option
Flickr (image) – Creative Commons option
Blip.tv (video) – License drop-down option
Jamendo (music)
SpinXpress (various)
WikiMedia (various)

Finding Images For Your Blog

Most bloggers want to find free images to use in their blog posts. This is one way you can use images with the Creative Commons licenses in your online presence. If you want an image that you will use as-is (with no modifications), you are looking for the Creative Commons licenses:

Attribution
Attribution Share Alike
Attribution No Derivatives

Each image creator defines how they want you to handle the attribution. You can’t decide how you want to attribute, you must follow the instructions given by the person who created the image and assigned the license.

Creative Commons Image Search

It’s easy to find content with the specific Creative Commons license you need for your project using the Creative Commons search.

Display the Creative Commons search page.
Type selected keywords that describe the image you want to find in the search query box.
Choose the appropriate license options (commercial and modify/adapt/build upon) checkboxes.
Click GO.
The images that match your requirements in Google Images search display. You can navigate through the pages of search results, and click to display a specific image details.
To change the search to another online source, click the appropriate tab. The search results from that source appear. You can navigate through the search results and click on an item to display specific media details.

Your turn: Do you use Creative Commons images in your blog? Share your experience. Are you a photographer who assigns Creative Commons licenses? We’d love any insights you can share here.

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Creative Commons Licenses

Charlene Kingston — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:00:05 +0000

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.