§ 01Start with what you want, not what sounds safe
Creative Commons offers six licences built from four conditions: Attribution (BY), ShareAlike (SA), NonCommercial (NC), and NoDerivatives (ND). Every licence requires attribution. The question is which restrictions, if any, you add on top.
The most permissive option, CC BY, lets anyone use, remix and redistribute your work — including commercially — as long as they credit you. Wikipedia runs on this licence's close cousin, CC BY-SA, which adds one condition: adaptations must carry the same licence forward. Both are good choices if you want maximum reach and don't mind others building on your work for profit.
If commercial use makes you uncomfortable, add NC. CC BY-NC allows free remixing for non-commercial purposes; CC BY-NC-SA does the same but requires ShareAlike on derivatives. Bear in mind that "non-commercial" is not perfectly defined in law and has generated real-world disputes — when in doubt, Creative Commons, Without the Jargon walks through each licence's plain-English meaning.
NoDerivatives locks the work's form. CC BY-ND allows redistribution, even commercially, but prohibits adaptations. CC BY-NC-ND is the most restrictive of the six: share it, credit it, don't change it, don't monetise it. Photographers and journalists often choose it for exactly that control.
One practical note: once you apply a CC licence, you cannot revoke it from copies already in circulation. Choose deliberately. Ask yourself not "what sounds cautious?" but "what do I genuinely want someone to be able to do with this in five years?" That answer points directly to the right licence.
| Mark | Full name | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| CC BY | Attribution | Use freely, even commercially; just credit. |
| CC BY-SA | Attribution-ShareAlike | Credit, and share adaptations under the same terms. |
| CC BY-NC | Attribution-NonCommercial | Credit; no commercial use. |
| CC BY-ND | Attribution-NoDerivatives | Credit; share as-is, no changes. |
| CC BY-NC-SA | Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike | Credit, non-commercial, share alike. |
| CC BY-NC-ND | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives | The most restrictive; credit, no commercial, no changes. |
| CC0 | Public Domain Dedication | All rights waived, as far as the law allows. |
APPENDIXAttached to the record
| Term | As used in this record |
|---|---|
| Attribution (BY) | credit the original creator in every use |
| ShareAlike (SA) | derivatives must carry the same licence |
| NonCommercial (NC) | use permitted only outside commercial contexts |
| NoDerivatives (ND) | redistribution allowed; no adaptations permitted |
| CC BY | CC BY CC BY: most permissive Creative Commons licence; requires credit only |
| CC BY-NC-ND | CC BY-NC-ND CC BY-NC-ND: most restrictive CC licence; no commercial use, no adaptations |
Filed as general information, not legal advice.