Creative Commons is a system of professional licenses and legal agreements that allow creators to share their creative works with others, while firmly retaining most of their rights as authors. It's an effective way for people to legally associate with the rights of their work, while providing people with a legal basis to use it, with some conditions that the author specifies.
Creative Commons is intended to expand the range of creative behaviour, as it allows authors to provide others with the legal right to access their work, as long as it's done under the terms of the license that the author has chosen. This helps to protect their work from being stolen, and encourages people to use their work more freely and fairly.
For example, an author may allow for their work to be freely accessible (for users to read and share, but not to edit or make changes). They may also allow for their work to be copied for non-commercial use (for which permission must be granted beforehand), or for commercial use (for which permission may be requested).
The Creative Commons system is also designed to be easy to understand. Each license is accompanied by a clear explanation of the rights granted and restrictions imposed. For instance, the terms 'attribution' or 'non-commercial' are clearly explained, and the licence author can choose to prohibit the addition of further restrictions on the work.
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In the United Kingdom, there are two main Creative Commons licenses to choose from: the Creative Commons attribution license (CC BY) and the Creative Commons attribution-share alike license (CC BY-SA).
The CC BY license is the most open and flexible type of Creative Commons license, as it allows for any form of use and reuse of copyrighted work, as long as the maker is attributed or credited appropriately. This means that you, as the creator, retain the copyright and full legal rights of your creative works. You still, however, give other people the right to use and share them, as long as they acknowledge you as the original creator.
On the other hand, the CC BY-SA license is slightly more restricted than the CC BY; it allows for any form of use and reuse of copyrighted work, but only on the condition that the works are shared or broadcasted on the same terms. This means that whatever license you (the creator) set is the same license that the others who use or share your work will be obliged to adhere to. This helps to protect your work from being used in a way that is inconsistent with your original intent.
Despite the differences between the two Creative Commons licenses, there are also some general guidelines that you should follow when you use one of them. One of the most important ones is to take the extra time and effort to properly attribute the original creator when you share their work. Their name, and the title of their work should always be clearly indicated on any form of distribution, so that the original author can get the recognition for their work that is rightfully theirs.