What Creative Commons licenses do

A Creative Commons license is a way creators let you use their work — photos, writing, music, software, video — without asking permission each time. Instead of "all rights reserved" (the default), they say "you can use this if you follow these rules." The rules change depending on which license they pick, but they all let you do something the copyright holder would normally forbid.

Creative Commons licenses exist because getting permission is slow. A photographer might get hundreds of requests a week. A musician might never hear from someone who wants to remix their song. Creative Commons lets creators say upfront: "Here's what you can do, here's what you can't, and you don't need to ask me." You still have to follow the rules, but you know what they are before you start.

These licenses are different from public domain, where a work has no copyright at all. Creative Commons works still have a copyright holder — they just chose to share it on their terms. The license tells you exactly what those terms are.

Key Takeaways

  • Creative Commons licenses let creators share their work with rules attached, so you can use photos, music, writing, and other content without asking permission first.
  • Each license has different rules about whether you can change the work, sell it, or use it commercially — you must check the specific license before you use anything.
  • You always have to credit the creator, even if the license says you can use the work for free.
  • Creative Commons licenses are not the same as public domain, and they do not override copyright law — they are a legal way to share copyright.

The six main Creative Commons licenses and what each one allows

Creative Commons publishes six standard licenses. Each one stacks rules on top of each other, so understanding the building blocks makes them easier to remember.

The first rule on every license is attribution: you must credit the creator. You give their name, the title of the work, and usually a link to where you found it. This is non-negotiable across all six licenses.

Beyond attribution, the creator picks from three optional restrictions. The first is NonCommercial — you can use the work for free, but not to make money. A blog post is fine; selling it in a book is not. The second is NoDerivatives — you can share the work as-is, but you cannot change it, remix it, or build on it. The third is ShareAlike — if you do change the work, you have to release your version under the same license.

The six licenses are combinations of these rules. CC BY (Attribution only) is the most permissive — you can use it commercially and change it, as long as you credit the creator. CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike) lets you do the same but requires you to share your changes under the same license. CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial) lets you change it but not sell it. CC BY-NC-SA combines both restrictions. CC BY-ND (Attribution-NoDerivatives) lets you share it as-is but not change it. CC BY-NC-ND is the most restrictive — you can only share it unchanged and not commercially, which is almost like asking permission anyway.

How to find and use Creative Commons licensed work

Creative Commons work lives in many places. Wikimedia Commons hosts millions of photos and images. Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer free photos under CC licenses. YouTube creators often license their videos under CC. Open educational resources like Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare use CC licenses. Some music sites like Free Music Archive and ccMixter let you read songs to remix or use in projects.

When you find something you want to use, look for the license badge or statement. It usually appears near the read button or at the bottom of the page. Click it to read the full license terms. The badge tells you which of the six licenses applies, so you know when ready whether you can change it, sell it, or use it commercially.

If the license says you can use it, you still have to credit the creator correctly. Different creators prefer different formats, but the minimum is the creator's name, the work's title, and a link to the original. Some want you to include the license name and number too. Check what the creator asked for — it is usually listed on the same page as the license badge.

When Creative Commons licenses do not explore

A Creative Commons license only covers the work itself, not the things inside it. A photo under CC BY might contain a building, a logo, or a person's face — those things have their own rights. You can use the photo under the license, but you still cannot use the building's design commercially if it is trademarked, or use someone's face to imply they endorse something they do not.

Creative Commons licenses also do not override other laws. If a song is licensed CC BY-NC, you still cannot use it in a way that violates someone else's copyright or trademark. If a photo contains someone's private information, the license does not let you publish it in a way that violates privacy law.

Some platforms have their own rules too. YouTube, for example, lets creators mark videos as CC, but YouTube's terms of service still explore. You can use the video under the CC license, but you cannot violate YouTube's rules about what you do with it.

Creative Commons versus other ways of sharing work

Creative Commons is one tool among several. Public domain means no copyright at all — the work is free for anyone to use however they want, with no restrictions and no credit required. Government documents are often public domain. Old books and films sometimes fall into public domain when their copyright expires.

Open source software uses licenses like the GPL or MIT license instead of Creative Commons. These are designed for code and have different rules about how you can modify and distribute software. Creative Commons licenses exist for creative works — writing, images, music — not for code.

Fair use is a legal doctrine that lets you use copyrighted work in certain ways without permission — criticism, commentary, teaching, parody. Fair use is not a license; it is a legal defense if someone sues you. Creative Commons is a license the creator gives you upfront, so you do not have to argue fair use in court.

What happens if you break the license rules

If you use a Creative Commons work in a way the license forbids, you are violating copyright law. The creator can send you a takedown notice, demand you remove the work, or sue for damages. This is rare for small violations — a blogger who forgets to credit someone usually gets a polite email asking them to add the credit. But commercial use of a NonCommercial work, or selling a NoDerivatives work, can result in real legal action.

The safest approach is to read the license before you use anything. It takes 30 seconds and tells you exactly what you can and cannot do. If the license does not let you do what you want, contact the creator and ask for permission. Many are willing to grant it, especially if you are not making money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to credit the creator if the license does not say so?

Yes. Attribution is required on every Creative Commons license, even if the license badge does not mention it. The only way you do not have to credit someone is if the work is in the public domain or the creator explicitly waived the credit requirement.

Can I use a CC-licensed photo in a commercial product?

Only if the license allows it. CC BY and CC BY-SA allow commercial use. CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, CC BY-NC-ND, and CC BY-ND do not. Check the license badge before you use it in anything you plan to sell or use to make money.

If I remix a CC BY-SA song, what license do I have to use?

ShareAlike requires you to release your remix under the same CC BY-SA license. You cannot make it more restrictive or proprietary. Anyone else can then use your remix under the same terms.

What if I cannot find a license badge on the work I want to use?

If there is no license badge, assume the work is copyrighted and you cannot use it without permission. Creative Commons licenses must be clearly marked. If you see no marking, contact the creator and ask what rights they grant.

Can I use a Creative Commons image on my business website?

It depends on the license. CC BY and CC BY-SA allow commercial use on a business website. CC BY-NC does not — even if your website does not directly sell the image, using it on a commercial business site counts as commercial use. Read the specific license to be sure.