What Are Creative Commons Licenses? May 2026

The work can only be used for purposes not primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation.

Creative Commons (CC) licenses are a set of standardized legal tools that allow creators to grant the public permission to use their copyrighted work under specific conditions . Founded in 2001 to bridge the gap between "all rights reserved" copyright and the public domain, these licenses enable a "some rights reserved" approach. Core License Elements What are Creative Commons Licenses?

If a user creates an adaptation of the work, they must license their new creation under the same or a compatible license. The work can only be used for purposes

Required by all six licenses, this condition mandates that users give proper credit to the original creator. What are Creative Commons Licenses?