Open Education (OE) Guide: Creative Commons

What is Copyright?

The intellectual property law that protects a creative work from theft or mis-use.  It is the creator's legal claim to the works that he or she creates. By default, any original creative work is copyrighted to the creator when that work is expressed in a tangible form.  

Bucks County Community College has its own Copyright Policy to ensure that all members of the college community adhere to the copyright laws of the United States.

What is a Creative Commons License?

• Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.
• Our free, easy-to-use copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work — on conditions of your choice. CC licenses let you easily change your copyright terms from the default of “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved.”
• Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable you to modify your copyright terms to best suit your needs.

What is the Difference Between Copyright and Creative Commons Licensing?

When you create something, you already have the copyright, but you can add the Creative Commons license layer to that work.  YOU ARE NOT giving up your copyright, but specifically modifying your copyright to indicate how that content can be used by others. 

Are There Different Creative Commons Licenses?

Yes, there are different licenses: and you can read about the rationale of each license on the Creative Commons website.

Need to Know More?

Frequently Asked Questions about Creative Commons Licenses

Any content about Creative Commons and its licensing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

What is Creative Commons (CC) Global Community?

It's a non profit organization that enables the sharing of knowledge and creative works. It unlocks the full potential of the internet to drive a new era of development, growth and productivity for open education.

Creative Commons materials include music, media, images, video and much more!

Use the Search Tool on the Creative Commons website to search for OER materials. 

• "Please note that search.creativecommons.org is not a search engine, but rather offers convenient access to search services provided by other independent organizations."

What is Open Licensing?

Gives permission in advance for others to reuse your work. 

Add a Creative Commons license to your work and share it with others.

• Use the Chooser Tool on the Creative Commons website to help you choose a license.
• If you are new to Creative Commons license please read Considerations before licensing and How the licenses work. 

Not sure about it?

3 Steps to Openly Licensing your work

Creative Commons Search Engine

Creative Commons updated their search engine. You should check it out!

Types of CC Licenses [see deeds associated with the license]

Once you are familiar with the CC logos and buttons you will more easily recognize an open resource and know immediately that you can use it. Click on each type of license below to see what you can or cannot do with the license:

• CC BY
• CC BY-SA
• CC BY-ND
• CC BY-NC
• CC BY-NC-SA
• CC BY-NC-ND

License Images for Download

• Download high resolution versions of the Creative Commons logos.

Terms for Using the Creative Commons Logos and Buttons

• You may not alter the logos in any respect—such as by changing the font, the proportions, or the colors. CC's buttons, name, and corporate logo (the “CC” in a circle) are trademarks of Creative Commons.
• You cannot use them in ways not permitted by our policies unless you first receive express, written permission. This means, for example, that you cannot (without our permission) print your own buttons and t-shirts using CC logos, although you can purchase them in CC’s.

Even if you are setting out to search for open materials, it is likely that you will come across materials that you will question if the content is open or not. As you know, it is the responsibility of every member of the College to follow copyright laws. There are a few guides that help you to determine Fair Use, when copyright has expired and the content/works is considered Public Domain. Please review the following guides below: 

• BCCC adheres to federal copyright laws. Read: Copyright @ Bucks
• Download the Fair Use Checklist
• View the Public Domain Checklist credit: Allegheny College

How to Give Attribution to Open Images

Here is a photo. Following is an example of how people might attribute it.

"A great day for geese" by Ann Fisher is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The above attribution is an ideal attribution. It contains the:

Title: “A great day for geese”
Author: “Ann Fisher” – linked to her profile page
Image Source: “A great day for geese” – linked to original Flickr page
License: “CC BY 2.0” – linked to license deed

How to attribute material offered under a CC license

One particular question commonly asked is How do I properly attribute material offered under a Creative Commons license? 

• Look at the good and bad examples given from Best practices for attribution.

Should you choose to exercise any of the 5R permissions granted you under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, you must be in accordance with CC's best practices for attribution.