Creative Commons' licenses

Creative commons.org is a website where creators (licensors) can get a "some rights reserved" copyright license for their creative work. Creators have automatic "all rights reserved" copyright licenses granted for their work, but sometimes the creator wants to share their work and allow some rights to it. CC helps these creators create this license and put their work on the web with this information so that others know what rights they can take with the work.

CC has six (6) types of licenses - all with different levels of restrictions. These licenses are listed below, with examples of a work found under each license. All photographs were found using the search term "library" through flickr.com and search.creativecommons.org.

Attribution CC license:

Chrisoph John SSF. Library, Hermitage of St Bernardine, Stroud, NSW. 2009. Photograph. Flickr. Web. 1 June 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/25869855@N04/4609212148/in/photolist-82iqbY-7GybVd-ci8s7s-8J9dpB-7NLsZ5-a29Zpc-bFwGMK-82ipB5-9GjrkA-8sU778-9ombUH-a2Ji3Q-a2JicE-a2Ji2w-a2FqrH-a2Fqqi-a2Ji5E-a2Ji9m-a2Ji1m-a2Fqi4-a2FqtZ-8y9Z1Y-7TqiTv-8bTupW-dzexfd-7Gug3x-9KdZx1-dNaCkN-dz1rFS-91sfYx-91vnqw-9KdXMb-7RerPp-dWBfuK-dWBfA6-dWGTps-8hsLFp-8hsUNc-8hsC4v-8hsLFD-8hsC3p-8hsUNn-8hsUNt-8hsUMP-8hsC3c-8hsC3z-8hsC4F-8hsUN6-8hsC4i-8hsLFP-8hsLFV>.

An Attribution license allows others to use, adapt, and build on a work, even for commercial puposes. CC claims that this is "the most accomodating of licenses offered." A creator would choose this type of license if they want their work to be widely disseminatied and used.




Attribution-NoDerivs CC license:

Library of Knowledge. N.d. Photograph. Flickr. By ShironekoEuro. Yahoo!, 07 Nov. 2009. Web. 01 June 2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41893519@N07/4082793837/in/photolist-7dMonc-7m6YVQ-7wPkfq-7wPkD5-7wPm4q-7wPmqJ-9JT4Mc-95W8fR-dREqkt-dREqnp-axHXWW-dREqpK-efLA3m-8cUJYe-8cUJUk-8eRE6u-8gaQFX-boiVf3-9SgomZ-8fQ1KZ-7NQoFk-7KvGd1-9MWP4X-bAuCiT-aWYYon-9Hh1Lg-8emKkW-8z9keK-8BWuPW-9kjWxg-9kk2Bk-9knYyU-9kBksA-8BTqvr-8BTqUk-9kynaK-9kBHi7-9kymMH-8BTsgT-8BTrgZ-8BTt5r-dPN7ox-dPN7hp-8BTsGg-d5je5w-d5jeoN-d5jf6y-9bzDWA-9kyiQg-d6etMd-9kyj4X.


An Attribution-NoDerivs allows licensees to redistribute the work for commercial and non-commercial use, but the work has to stay unchanged and credit must be given to the creator.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC license:

Library. 2010. Photograph. Flickr. By Chanzi. Yahoo!, 16 May 2010. Web. 01 June 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035641446@N01/4766096416/in/photolist-8gauq9-bmsAaa-bmsAdi-bmsA5k-bmsA34-bmszZi-bmszHP-bmszPZ-bmszSX-bmszVV-bmszLP-bmszzM-bmsA7D-bmszC6-bmsAjB-8NyGBS-8PUnXz-8PXoJQ-8PUmqF-b7kgZa-9Q5MFa-8PUucp-dqXXR8-9pKc1u-8Y7ayt-dbiiF4-9iz6kf-7JVb8W-7Gd3Uf-83g8KU-bDJprR-dke4aj-btMUqM-btMV14-btMUJk-btMUPp-btMUw4-btMUCP-btMV7e-btMUcr-btMUk2-btMU6p-9fR4QL-aYZT9v-dzjtfm>.


Without a proper title, it is hard to find out what library is being shown. I think this is at Cornell.

Some creators want others to be able to adapt and build on and change their work, but they restrict this to non-commercial use and any new creations from the work have to be licensed in the exact way as the original. This type of license is called an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Attribution-ShareAlike CC license:

Library. 2010. Photograph. Flickr. By AnAstray. Yahoo!, 11 June 2010. Web. 01 June 2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/15975620@N00/4470824157/in/photolist-7P59g8-ehJHzE-cWVz83-8VX5LU-diwxvL-e3TfBB-bEdvdb-8TGvTy-8nY6jZ-8dyXza-cVBBSU-ae1iVR-7xLBot-efJHse-8kW6Uv-dsAYcC-brq1Yt-8TekAv-ehJJiw-8GSqC1-9uZ42g-9MAJya-9ZUs9z-8KgS3r-9dZ3FP-8dyWUv-8wGzqA-cV4aPU-ajxkqG-9hHfQV-7ZQz3g-9AWZ4N-dR8guv-d5hJV3-bSyHu2-cDPZvG-bs8XDo-9Zdw13-bYGd85-8rjjrC-dxo7BH-9kFRhh-9Zb97F-8UConj-8D8mwy-8K1zjP-8eAj7n-8eDz3h-8eDyGL.


An Attribution-ShareAlike license grants rights to others to use and adapt a creator's work - even for commercial purposes. The user (licensee) has to then credit the creator and license their work in the same way. Wikipedia uses this type of license.


Attribution-NonCommercial CC license:

Hearst Castle Library Interior. 2011. Photograph. Flickr. By Filosoph. Yahoo!, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 June 2013. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/filosoph/5570568944/>.


Much like the Attribution-ShareAlike license, the Attribution-NonCommercial license allows others to adapt/change a work for non-commercial reasons and required acknowledgement of the creator, but the subsequent work does not have to be licenses in the same way as the original.


Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC license:

Brežice Library Entrance Hall, 2009. 2009. Photograph. Culture.SI. By Aleksander Lilik. 26 Nov. 2009. Web. 1 June 2013. <http://www.culture.si/en/File:Bre%C5%BEice_Library_2009_entrance.jpg>.


The most restrictive license is the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs. Allowing only non-commercial use, this license allows others to download and share a work, but the work can not be changed in any way and credit must be given to the creator.


I don't think that I found a great difference in the type and amount of images for "library" under the different license types. However, I did notice a great difference in the ease of finding a photograph under each of the six licenses. Using flickr.com directly was the best way to do this, as I discovered using search.creativecommons.org. It took some searching to be find out how to do the search with a particular license, as well.