Library Resources Home: Creative Commons (CC) and Creative Commons Licensing: Licensing Your Content

Note:

If you use OER without editing, then you can just leave the attribution as you find it. If you are editing, mixing, or combining into a new work - please check with us <library@fvtc.edu> before applying a Creative Common license to a new/ revised chapter, book, or collection. There are some fine points about it that can be confusing.

If you create New Content that is copy-right-able...

Considerations before you license
Make sure you understand what copy rights you will be giving away.
How the licenses work
CC Licenses un-restrict parts of your copy-rights
Creative Commons Licenses and Examples
Look for content similar to yours.
Choose A License Tool
Try different scenarios to see which copyrights will be un-restricted.
Want public domain instead?
Closest to Public Domain available. Most open, least restrictive, easiest to use and re-use.
Noncommercial Isn’t the Problem, ShareAlike Is
"The biggest legal problem facing the open educational movement is license incompatibility." Making new content PD solves this problem.

Adaptations / Remixes: Compatible Licenses

What can I mix?
Commercial Collection can be any mix of
PD
BY
BY-ND
BY-SA

NON-Commercial Collection can be any mix of
PD
BY
BY-NC
BY-NC-ND
BY-NC-SA
BY-ND
BY-SA

Public Domain content should be clearly annotated if used in either case.
Public Domain content can be part of a Licensed work, but is not restricted by the CC license because it is not restricted by copyright.