Frequently Asked Questions - Revision history

CCID-shinchpearson: /* Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software? */

2015-10-09T14:08:57Z

‎Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software?

CCID-shinchpearson: /* Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software? */

2015-10-09T14:04:35Z

‎Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software?

Kat Walsh: edit to reflect new title

2015-01-02T18:52:21Z

edit to reflect new title

CCID-shinchpearson at 15:54, 21 October 2014

2014-10-21T15:54:18Z

CCID-shinchpearson at 15:51, 21 October 2014

2014-10-21T15:51:58Z

Kat Walsh: /* What if I have received CC-licensed material with additional restrictions? */ +modifying the CC licenses guide

2014-09-17T16:54:12Z

‎What if I have received CC-licensed material with additional restrictions?: +modifying the CC licenses guide

Kat Walsh: /* Does my use violate the NonCommercial clause of the licenses? */ +NC interpretation

2014-09-17T16:51:12Z

‎Does my use violate the NonCommercial clause of the licenses?: +NC interpretation

CCID-shinchpearson: /* If I derive or adapt material offered under a Creative Commons license, which CC license(s) can I use? */

2014-09-03T16:40:23Z

‎If I derive or adapt material offered under a Creative Commons license, which CC license(s) can I use?

Kat Walsh: /* Combining and adapting CC material */ fix link

2014-08-20T16:47:24Z

‎Combining and adapting CC material: fix link

Kat Walsh: /* Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software? */ more reasons for recommending agains tuse in software

2014-08-13T22:02:12Z

‎Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software?: more reasons for recommending agains tuse in software

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:08, 9 October 2015
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	While we recommend against using a CC license on software itself, CC licenses may be used for software documentation, as well as for separate artistic elements such as game art or music.		While we recommend against using a CC license on software itself, CC licenses may be used for software documentation, as well as for separate artistic elements such as game art or music.
−

	<span id="Can_I_apply_a_Creative_Commons_license_to_data_or_a_database.3F"></span>		<span id="Can_I_apply_a_Creative_Commons_license_to_data_or_a_database.3F"></span>

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 Unlike software-specific licenses, CC licenses do not contain specific terms about the distribution of source code, which is often important to ensuring the free reuse and modifiability of software. Many software licenses also address patent rights, which are important to software but may not be applicable to other copyrightable works. Additionally, our licenses are currently not compatible with the major software licenses, so it would be difficult to integrate CC-licensed work with other free software. Existing software licenses were designed specifically for use with software and offer a similar set of rights to the Creative Commons licenses.
-Our licenses are currently [http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html not compatible with the GPL], though the CC0 Public Domain Dedication '''is''' GPL-compatible and acceptable for software. For details, [[CC0_FAQ#May_I_apply_CC0_to_computer_software.3F_If_so.2C_is_there_a_recommended_implementation.3F|see the relevant CC0 FAQ entry]]. We are looking into compatibility of BY-SA with GPL in the future; see the [http://creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses license compatibility page] for more information.)
+Version 4.0 of CC's Attribution-ShareAlike (BY-SA) license is [http://creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses one-way compatible] with the [https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License version 3.0] (GPLv3). This compatibility mechanism is designed for situations in which content is integrated into software code in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to distinguish the two. There are special considerations required before using this compatibility mechanism. Read more about it [[ShareAlike_compatibility:_GPLv3|here]].
 While we recommend against using a CC license on software itself, CC licenses may be used for software documentation, as well as for separate artistic elements such as game art or music.

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 #[[#Can_I_include_a_work_licensed_with_CC_BY_in_a_Wikipedia_article_even_though_they_use_a_CC_BY-SA_license.3F | Can I include a work licensed with CC BY in a Wikipedia article even though they use a CC BY-SA license?]]
 #[[#Can_governments_and_intergovernmental_organizations_.28.22IGOs.22.29_use_CC_licenses.3F | Can governments and intergovernmental organizations ("IGOs") use CC licenses?]]
-#[[#What_are_the_official_translations_of_the_CC_licenses.3F|What are the official translations of the CC licenses?]]
+#[[#What_are_the_official_translations_of_the_CC_licenses_and_CC0.3F|What are the official translations of the CC licenses and CC0?]]
 #[[#What_is_a_BY-SA_Compatible_License.3F|What is a BY-SA Compatible License?]]
@@ Line 355: / Line 355: @@
 Though we encourage anyone to use version 4.0, which is internationally valid and may be used by individuals as well as organizations, there is an IGO ported version of 3.0<!--link when available--> that IGOs may also use. Read more about how [[government]]s and [[IGO]]s use and leverage CC licenses and legal tools, considerations for using our licenses, and [[Intergovernmental_Organizations#FAQ:_CC_Licenses_and_IGOs|how they operate in the IGO context.]]
 <span id="officialtranslations"></span>
 ====What are the official translations of the CC licenses and CC0?====

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 #[[#Can_governments_and_intergovernmental_organizations_.28.22IGOs.22.29_use_CC_licenses.3F | Can governments and intergovernmental organizations ("IGOs") use CC licenses?]]
 #[[#What_are_the_official_translations_of_the_CC_licenses.3F|What are the official translations of the CC licenses?]]
-#[[What is a BY-SA Compatible License?]]
+#[[#What_is_a_BY-SA_Compatible_License.3F|What is a BY-SA Compatible License?]]
 ===For Licensors===

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 #[[#Can_governments_and_intergovernmental_organizations_.28.22IGOs.22.29_use_CC_licenses.3F | Can governments and intergovernmental organizations ("IGOs") use CC licenses?]]
 #[[#What_are_the_official_translations_of_the_CC_licenses.3F|What are the official translations of the CC licenses?]]
 ===For Licensors===
@@ Line 361: / Line 362: @@
 For versions 3.0 and earlier, official translations are not available. Some unofficial translations were made for informational purposes only. (Jurisdiction ported versions of version 3.0 and earlier were generally published in the official language(s) of the appropriate jurisdiction. However, the ported licenses are [[Frequently_Asked_Questions#What_should_I_know_about_differences_between_the_international_licenses_and_the_ported_licenses.3F|not
 equivalent]] to the international licenses, and do not serve as substitutable references for purposes of complying with the terms and conditions of the licenses.)
 ==For Licensors==
@@ Line 737: / Line 742: @@
 :=====BY-SA and BY-NC-SA material=====
-In general, when remixing ShareAlike content, your adapter's license must be the same license as the license on the material you are adapting. All licenses after version 1.0 also allow you to license your contributions under a later version of the same license, and some also allow ported licenses. (See the [[License_Versions#Compatibility_mechanism_in_BY-SA_licenses|license versions page]] for details.) If you wish to adapt material under BY-SA or BY-NC-SA and release your contributions under a non-CC license, you should visit the [http://creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses Compatibility page] to see which options are allowed. Currently, no non-CC licenses are listed as compatible.
+In general, when remixing ShareAlike content, your adapter's license must be the same license as the license on the material you are adapting. All licenses after version 1.0 also allow you to license your contributions under a later version of the same license, and some also allow ported licenses. (See the [[License_Versions#Compatibility_mechanism_in_BY-SA_licenses|license versions page]] for details.) If you wish to adapt material under BY-SA or BY-NC-SA and release your contributions under a non-CC license, you should visit the [http://creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses Compatibility page] to see which options are allowed.
 :=====BY-ND and BY-NC-ND material=====

@@ Line 702: / Line 702: @@
 ====What if I have received CC-licensed material with additional restrictions?====
-It is possible that CC-licensed material will appear on platforms that impose terms in addition to the copyright license (though [[Frequently_Asked_Questions#Can_I_enter_into_separate_or_supplemental_agreements_with_users_of_my_work.3F|Creative Commons strongly discourages restrictions that interfere with exercise of the licensed rights]]). These additional terms do not form part of the license for the work. For example, if you download CC-licensed material from a site that does not permit downloading, you may be breaking the terms of use of the site, but you are not infringing the CC license.
+It is possible that CC-licensed material will appear on platforms that impose terms in addition to the copyright license (though [[Frequently_Asked_Questions#Can_I_enter_into_separate_or_supplemental_agreements_with_users_of_my_work.3F|Creative Commons strongly discourages restrictions that interfere with exercise of the licensed rights]]). These additional terms do not form part of the license for the work. For example, if you download CC-licensed material from a site that does not permit downloading, you may be breaking the terms of use of the site, but you are not infringing the CC license. See our guide to [[Modifying the CC licenses]] for more guidance and information.
 ===Combining and adapting CC material===

@@ Line 664: / Line 664: @@
 In CC's experience, it is usually relatively easy to determine whether a use is permitted, and known conflicts are relatively few considering the popularity of the NC licenses. However, there will always be uses that are challenging to categorize as commercial or noncommercial. CC cannot advise you on what is and is not commercial use. If you are unsure, you should either contact the rights holder for clarification, or search for works that permit commercial uses.
-In 2008, [[Defining_Noncommercial|Creative Commons published results]] from a survey on meanings of commercial and noncommercial use generally.  Note that the results of the study are not intended to serve as CC's official interpretation of what is and is not commercial use under our licenses, and the results should not be relied upon as such.
+CC has a [[NonCommercial interpretation|brief guide]] to interpretation of the NC license that goes into more detail about the meaning of the NC license and some key points to pay attention to. Additionally, in 2008, [[Defining_Noncommercial|Creative Commons published results]] from a survey on meanings of commercial and noncommercial use generally.  Note that the results of the study are not intended to serve as CC's official interpretation of what is and is not commercial use under our licenses, and the results should not be relied upon as such.
 ====Can I take a CC-licensed work and use it in a different format?====

@@ Line 743: / Line 743: @@
 :=====Adapter's license chart=====
-The chart below details the CC license(s) you may use as your adapter's license. When creating an adaptation of material under the license identified in the lefthand column, you may license your contributions to the adaptation under one of the licenses indicated on the top row if the corresponding box is green. If the box is yellow, you should proceed with caution. CC does not recommend using these combinations, although they are technically permitted by the terms of the license.  You should take additional care to mark the adaptation as involving multiple copyrights under different terms so that downstream users are aware of their obligations to comply with the licenses from all rights holders. Dark gray boxes indicate those licenses that you may not use as your adapter's license.
+The chart below details the CC license(s) you may use as your adapter's license. When creating an adaptation of material under the license identified in the lefthand column, you may license your contributions to the adaptation under one of the licenses indicated on the top row if the corresponding box is green. CC does not recommend using a license if the corresponding box is yellow, although doing so is technically permitted by the terms of the license.  If you do, you should take additional care to mark the adaptation as involving multiple copyrights under different terms so that downstream users are aware of their obligations to comply with the licenses from all rights holders. Dark gray boxes indicate those licenses that you may not use as your adapter's license.
 {| style="width:600px;" border="1" cellpadding="10" class="wiki_table"

@@ Line 127: / Line 127: @@
 ====Combining and adapting CC material====
 #[[#When_is_my_use_considered_an_adaptation.3F|When is my use considered an adaptation?]]
-#[[#Can_I_combine_material_that_uses_different_Creative_Commons_licenses_into_my_work.3F|Can I combine material that uses different Creative Commons licenses into my work?]]
+#[[#Can_I_combine_material_under_different_Creative_Commons_licenses_in_my_work.3F|Can I combine material that uses different Creative Commons licenses into my work?]]
 #[[#If_I_derive_or_adapt_material_offered_under_a_Creative_Commons_license.2C_which_CC_license.28s.29_can_I_use.3F|If I derive or adapt material offered under a Creative Commons license, which CC license(s) can I use?]]
 #[[#If_I_create_a_collection_that_includes_a_work_offered_under_a_CC_license.2C_which_license.28s.29_may_I_choose_for_the_collection.3F|If I create a collection that includes a work offered under a CC license, which license(s) may I choose for the collection?]]

@@ Line 435: / Line 435: @@
 ====Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software?====
-We recommend against using Creative Commons licenses for software. Instead, we strongly encourage you to use one of the very good software licenses which are already available. We recommend considering [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html licenses made available] by the [http://www.fsf.org/ Free Software Foundation] or [http://opensource.org/licenses listed as “open source”] by the [http://www.opensource.org/ Open Source Initiative]. Unlike our licenses, which do not make mention of source or object code, these existing licenses were designed specifically for use with software. Furthermore, most of our licenses are currently [http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/gpl-compatible.html not compatible with the GPL], the most frequently used free software license. (We are looking into compatibility of BY-SA with GPL in the future; for more detail, see the [http://creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses compatibility page].)
+We recommend against using Creative Commons licenses for software. Instead, we strongly encourage you to use one of the very good software licenses which are already available. We recommend considering [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html licenses made available] by the [http://www.fsf.org/ Free Software Foundation] or [http://opensource.org/licenses listed as “open source”] by the [http://www.opensource.org/ Open Source Initiative].
-CC licenses may be used for software documentation, as well as separate artistic elements such as game art or music.
+Unlike software-specific licenses, CC licenses do not contain specific terms about the distribution of source code, which is often important to ensuring the free reuse and modifiability of software. Many software licenses also address patent rights, which are important to software but may not be applicable to other copyrightable works. Additionally, our licenses are currently not compatible with the major software licenses, so it would be difficult to integrate CC-licensed work with other free software. Existing software licenses were designed specifically for use with software and offer a similar set of rights to the Creative Commons licenses.
 <span id="Can_I_apply_a_Creative_Commons_license_to_data_or_a_database.3F"></span>