Creative Commons License

A Creative Commons License is a standardized, free legal tool that allows creators to grant the public permission to use their work under specific conditions, without requiring individual licensing negotiations. The six main CC licenses range from the most permissive (CC BY — attribution only required) to the most restrictive (CC BY-NC-ND — attribution required, no commercial use, no derivatives). For content creators, CC licenses are useful for sharing work broadly while retaining some rights, and for finding free-to-use content for their own projects. The CC0 license (public domain dedication) allows creators to waive all rights and place their work in the public domain.