An Alternative to ‘All Rights Reserved’
Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that provides a set of free, easy-to-use copyright licenses that offer a simple, standardized way to grant public permission for the sharing and use of creative work. While standard copyright operates on an ‘All Rights Reserved’ basis, Creative Commons licenses provide a spectrum of ‘Some Rights Reserved’ options. A creator who applies a CC license to their work is not giving up their copyright; rather, they are pre-approving certain uses of their work, as long as the user adheres to the conditions of the license. This creates a vast and accessible pool of content that can be legally shared, remixed, and reused.
The Four Conditions
Creators can build a license by mixing and matching four main conditions:
- Attribution (BY): This is a requirement in all CC licenses. Any user of the work must give appropriate credit to the original creator.
- ShareAlike (SA): If a user creates a new work based on the original (an adaptation or ‘derivative’), they must release their new work under the same CC license.
- NonCommercial (NC): The work can be copied, distributed, and displayed, but not for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives (ND): The work can be copied and distributed, but it cannot be modified, adapted, or remixed.
These conditions can be combined to create six different core licenses, ranging from the very permissive ‘CC BY’ (which only requires attribution) to the most restrictive ‘CC BY-NC-ND’ (which allows for sharing but not for commercial use or modification).
Its Role in Filmmaking
Creative Commons licenses are a vital resource for filmmakers, especially those in the independent and non-profit sectors. A director might release a short film under a CC license to encourage viral sharing and build an audience. More commonly, filmmakers can source CC-licensed music, sound effects, photographs, and even stock video footage for use in their own projects. This provides a clear legal framework to incorporate content without having to negotiate expensive licenses, provided the filmmaker scrupulously follows the terms of the specific CC license (e.g., providing proper attribution in the credits).