Creative Commons licenses provide a standardized way to grant copyright permissions to cultural works and data. There are six main licenses that allow varying levels of commercial use and derivative works, but all require attribution. Creative Commons also provides tools like CC Search and public domain tools to help make works more accessible and support open sharing of cultural heritage and knowledge.

1. & Cultural Heritage

2. A simple, standardized,
legally robust way to grant
© permissions to cultural
works and data

4.  Enable © holders to grant copy and
reuse permissions to the public
 6 licenses:
 Some grant commercial uses
 Some allow derivatives be made
 All require attribution
CC Licenses

5.  Attribution
 ShareAlike
 NonCommercial
 NoDerivatives
4 Elements

6. Public Domain Dedication
Licenses

7. The Public Domain
"The general rule of law is, that the noblest of
human productions -- knowledge, truths
ascertained, conceptions, and ideas -- become,
after voluntary communication to others, free as
the air to common use.”
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Dissent, International News Service v.
Associated Press (1918).

8. The Public Domain
(It’s complicated)

9. CC Zero =
I want to waive all of
MY rights to a work.
(legally operable)

11. PD Mark =
For works already in the public
domain worldwide.
(legally operable)

14. Lawyer
Readable
Legal Code

15. Human
Readable
Deed

16. Machine
Readable
Metadata

17. CC Search: Front Door to the Commons
• 1.0 launched in 2019
• Curated online collections from 20+ partners
• Sourced via open APIs and Common Crawl
• 300M + CC licensed and public domain images
• One-click attribution
• Upcoming: Wikimedia Commons, audio, open textbooks

18. CC Search: Front Door to the Commons

19. CC Search: Front Door to the Commons

20. CC Global Network
• 250+ members in 70+ countries
• Experts on GLAM, open education, policy, law …..
• Work through Chapters and Platforms
• GLAM
• Open Education
• Copyright Reform & Advocacy
• Community

21. + Traditional
Knowledge

22. Traditional Knowledge/Culture Learnings:
Acknowledge and honor tensions
• TK and Public Domain
• TK sharing considerations and CC/PD sharing
considerations
• Not always a perfect fit
• But can be a good fit with knowledge, engagement

23. Traditional Knowledge/Culture Learnings:
“Nothing about you without you”
• Differences (big!) exist between cultures and geographies – avoid
exporting assumptions
• Listening and engaging, before deciding – avoid unilateral decisions
• Flagging those that are part of or exempt from the OA collection,
including through metadata field TBD

24. + Museums
Sharing Digital Collections (text, audio, video)
Sharing Collection Records (catalogue info)
Engaging communities

25. + Smithsonian

26. Digital Collections
Marking works in the public domain with CC0 and PDM
Making available hi-resolution images

27. Collection Records

28. Engaging Users
& Artists

29. Sharing
Digital
Collections
Sharing
Collection
Records
Engaging
Users +
Community

30.  CC licenses are robust, built on © law
 Clarity and specificity regarding use
 Data embedded w/assets; enables
browse/search filters
 Minimizes overhead for individual
transactions
 Clear way to share PD collections

31.  Promotional & educational tool
 Increases reach + impact of museum
 Good will w/public, creative industries
 Enable unexpected, creative &
delightful results
 Lead to refocusing of resources, new
funding + revenue models

32. Except where otherwise noted: CC BY
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Creative Commons and the double C in a circle are registered trademarks of
Creative Commons in the United States and other countries. Third party marks and
brands are the property of their respective holders.