Copyright & Creative Commons for OER
Open Educational Resources are designed to be reused and shared, but open does not mean copyright-free.
Creative Commons licenses give creators a standardized way to tell others how their work may be reused, shared, and adapted.
Understanding Creative Commons Licenses
All six Creative Commons licenses require attribution, but they differ in whether commercial use and adaptations are allowed.
CC BY — Attribution
You may share, adapt, remix, and build upon the work in any format, including for commercial purposes.
Requirement: Give credit to the creator.
CC BY-SA — Attribution-ShareAlike
You may share, adapt, remix, and build upon the work, including for commercial purposes.
Requirements: Give credit and license adaptations under the same or a compatible license.
CC BY-ND — Attribution-NoDerivatives
You may copy and share the work, including for commercial purposes, but only in its original form.
Requirements: Give credit. Adapted versions may not be distributed.
CC BY-NC — Attribution-NonCommercial
You may share, adapt, remix, and build upon the work for noncommercial purposes.
Requirements: Give credit and use the work only for noncommercial purposes.
CC BY-NC-SA — Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
You may share, adapt, remix, and build upon the work for noncommercial purposes.
Requirements: Give credit, use the work only for noncommercial purposes, and license adaptations under the same or a compatible license.
CC BY-NC-ND — Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
You may copy and share the original work for noncommercial purposes.
Requirements: Give credit, use the work only for noncommercial purposes, and no derivatives or adaptations are permitted.
What Do the License Terms Mean?
BY — Attribution
Credit must be given to the creator.
SA — ShareAlike
Adaptations must be shared under the same or a compatible license.
NC — NonCommercial
Use is limited to purposes that are not primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation.
ND — NoDerivatives
Adapted versions of the work may not be distributed.
Can I Adapt It?
✓ Adapt
✓ Adapt
✓ Adapt
✓ Adapt
✗ No shared adaptations
✗ No shared adaptations
Tip: If a license contains ND (NoDerivatives), adapted versions may not be distributed.
How Do I Give Credit?
A simple way to remember attribution is TASL:
- T — Title
- A — Author
- S — Source
- L — License
Example attribution:
Introduction to Sociology by Jane Smith, available from hyperlink or URL, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
If you modify a resource, indicate that changes were made.
What About Materials I Find Online?
Do not assume something is free to reuse simply because it is:
- Available online
- Found through Google Images
- Posted on YouTube
- Free to read
- Being used for educational purposes
When possible, use materials that are openly licensed, in the public domain, or otherwise licensed for your intended use.
Creating Your Own OER?
If you create original OER, you can choose a Creative Commons license that tells others how they may reuse your work.
Check with the OER Team before selecting a license for grant-funded work.
Creative Commons License Chooser
License descriptions on this page were adapted from Creative Commons, “CC Licenses” , licensed under CC BY 4.0 .
This page provides general educational information about copyright and open licensing and is not legal advice.
