Applying a Creative Commons (CC) License to Original Work

It is extremely easy to apply a CC License to your original work, but there are some important things to consider first. 

1. CC Licenses and the CC Zero mark are irrevocable. Once the license is applied to the work it is in effect until the copyright term for that creation expires.  Once of the things that makes CC Licenses so usable is that reusers and adapters known that the permissions can not be taken away.
2. You must own or control the copyright on the work you are licensing.  You can not license items in the public domain with a CC license, or an existing copyrighted work such as a popular song.  Additionally, if you are completing the work in the course of your employment duties you might not own the copyright. 

When choosing a license for your work, think about what you are comfortable with in relation to that work.  For example, if you apply a CC License to a sentimental photo and it would bother you to see it altered, you might not want to apply a CC License to it, or you would need to make it a NonDerivative License.  If you are comfortable with that photo being altered then you could not apply the NonDerivative License.  If you are okay with that photo being used on Wikipedia you would need to choose a CC BY, BY-SA, or CC0 because Wikipedia allows images  licensed under NonCommercial or NonDerivative in very limited circumstances. 

When you have decided what license you want to use, the minimum you have to do is indicate what CC License applies to your work. It is encouraged, however, that you include a link to the CC License Deed at Creative Commons.  Creative Commons also has a License Chooser that allows you to select options and enter your information and then produces an attribution statement with the three layers of a CC License: Legal Code, Human Readable, and Machine Readable (the License "Deed.")

Sources: (Links open in a new window)

This information has been adapted from "Unit 4.1:Choosing and Applying a CC License" in Creative Commons Certificate for Educators, Academic Librarians, and GLAM by Creative Commons and is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

All Creative Commons License images were created by Creative Commons and are licensed under CC BY 4.0.