CC Licensees & Copyright In Graphic Design : 1-Minute Explain

Copyright
Copyright ownership typically falls into two categories:

1. The Creator Owns the Copyright: By default, the copyright for a graphic design belongs to the designer who created it. This applies to freelance designers and independent contractors.
2. Copyright Transfer to Client (Work Made for Hire): In some cases, the copyright ownership can be transferred to the client.

Creative Commons Licenses types

Creative Commons Licenses

These are public copyright licenses that allow designers to share their work with specific permissions. There are different Creative Commons licenses with varying restrictions, such as requiring attribution or prohibiting commercial use.

Copyright Symbol (©): Check for the copyright symbol followed by the year and owner’s name.

Types of Creative Commons Licenses

• BY (Attribution): This is the most common element and requires whoever uses the work to give credit to the original creator.
• SA (Share Alike): If a work is used to create a derivative work (e.g., a remix, adaptation), the derivative work must also be shared under the same Creative Commons license or a compatible one.
• NC (Noncommercial): This restricts use of the work to non-commercial purposes. What constitutes “non-commercial” can be a gray area, but it generally means the use shouldn’t be directly aimed at making a profit.
• ND (No Derivative Works): This prohibits creating derivative works based on the original creation. Users can only share and use the original work in its unmodified form.

Types of Creative Commons Licenses

These elements are mixed and matched to create different Creative Commons licenses, such as:

• CC BY (Attribution)
• CC BY-SA (Attribution-Share Alike)
• CC BY-NC (Attribution-Noncommercial)
• CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike)
• CC BY-ND (Attribution-No Derivative Works)
• CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works)

Royalty-Free Images vs Creative Commons Images

• Both royalty-free and Creative Commons images offer ways to use copyrighted content without paying royalties (ongoing fees) for each use. However, they differ in terms of ownership, permissions, and how you can use the images.

Here’s a table summarizing the key differences

Royalty-Free Images vs Creative Commons Images

Options to Find Images Free to Use with Minimal Limitations

• Public Domain Images: These are works whose copyright has expired, been forfeited, or never existed (e.g., government documents, creations by deceased artists whose terms have expired). You can find public domain images on websites like:
• Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/public-domain-images/
• Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikipedia.org/
• Creative Commons with “No Rights Reserved” License: This specific Creative Commons license (CC0) allows for the most unrestricted use. You can use, modify, and distribute the image even for commercial purposes without attribution. Websites like Flickr and some stock photo sites allow filtering by the “CC0” license.
• Keyword Search with “Free” or “Royalty Free”: When searching for images on general image search engines, try adding “free” or “royalty free” to your keywords.

Important Note:

• Be cautious of websites offering “copyright-free” images without clear licensing information.
• If unsure about the copyright status of an image, it’s safest to err on the side of caution and not use it or seek permission from the owner.

How to Apply a Creative Commons License

1. Visit Creative Commons License Chooser: https://creativecommons.org/ to explore and select the license that best suits your needs.
2. Apply the License: Creative Commons provides tools and code snippets to embed the license information into

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