English:Copyright and Creative Commons
Copyright and Creative Commons
Introduction
Every day, you create and use media: drawings, stories, photos, music, videos, games, and school projects. Copyright and Creative Commons help you understand who made a work and what other people may do with it.
Copyright gives creators legal rights over their original creative works. Creative Commons, often shortened to CC, offers standard licenses that creators can use to give other people permission in advance. Learning these ideas helps you become a fair, careful, and creative digital citizen.
Copyright rules are not exactly the same in every country. In this course, you will learn safe habits that work well in school: check who made a work, check its license, follow the license rules, and ask for help when you are unsure.
Copyright: Protecting Creative Work
Copyright is a legal term for rights that creators have over literary and artistic works. Examples include stories, poems, songs, photographs, films, drawings, maps, computer programs, and many other original creations.
In many countries, copyright protection begins automatically when an original work is created. A creator does not need to add a copyright symbol for the work to be protected. The symbol © can still be useful because it reminds people that copyright may apply.
Watch this student-friendly video and listen for examples of creative work and responsible reuse:
What does copyright protect?
Copyright generally protects the expression of an idea, such as the exact words of a story, the details of a drawing, or the recorded sounds in a song. Copyright does not normally give someone ownership of a simple fact or a basic idea by itself.
For example, nobody owns the idea of writing a story about a lost dog. However, the exact text and illustrations in one person's original lost-dog story can be protected.
What rights can creators have?
Depending on the country and the kind of work, copyright can give a creator or copyright owner control over actions such as copying a work, sharing copies, showing or performing it publicly, or making an adaptation. A creator can also give other people permission to do some of these things.
Owning a physical object is not always the same as owning its copyright. If you buy a book, you own that copy of the book, but you do not automatically gain the right to copy the whole book and publish it online.
Creative Commons: Permission Made Clear
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal tools for sharing creative works. A CC license works with copyright: the creator keeps copyright while giving the public permission to use the work under stated conditions.
There are six main Creative Commons license types. They combine a small set of easy-to-recognize symbols. Once you understand the symbols, you can read many licenses quickly.
This video introduces Creative Commons in a way designed for young learners:
Reading the Creative Commons Symbols
BY: Attribution
BY means you must give appropriate credit to the creator.
Credit helps other people know who made the work and where it came from.
SA: ShareAlike
SA means that if you share an adaptation, you must use the same license or a compatible license for your new version.
ShareAlike keeps later adaptations open under similar terms.
NC: NonCommercial
NC means the licensed work may be used only for noncommercial purposes under the license.
A noncommercial use is not mainly intended for commercial advantage or payment. If a planned use might be commercial, ask an adult or teacher to help you check.
ND: NoDerivatives
ND means you may share the work only in unadapted form under the license. You may not share a changed version using the license's permission.
Changing colors, translating text, editing a picture, or remixing audio can create an adaptation, so ND deserves careful attention.
The Six Creative Commons Licenses
The six licenses combine the symbols in different ways. BY is part of every one of the six licenses.
| License | What the license allows | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| CC BY | Share and adapt, including for commercial purposes | Give credit |
| CC BY-SA | Share and adapt, including for commercial purposes | Give credit and share adaptations under the same or a compatible license |
| CC BY-ND | Share the unadapted work, including for commercial purposes | Give credit and do not share adaptations under this license |
| CC BY-NC | Share and adapt for noncommercial purposes | Give credit and keep the use noncommercial |
| CC BY-NC-SA | Share and adapt for noncommercial purposes | Give credit, keep the use noncommercial, and share adaptations under the same or a compatible license |
| CC BY-NC-ND | Share the unadapted work for noncommercial purposes | Give credit, keep the use noncommercial, and do not share adaptations under this license |
The exact license version also matters. When you reuse a work, open its source page and read the complete license notice instead of guessing from the picture alone.
Public Domain and CC0
The public domain includes works that are not protected by copyright. A work can be in the public domain for different reasons, and the rules can depend on the country.
CC0 is not one of the six CC licenses. It is a Creative Commons legal tool that a creator can use to give up copyright and related rights as far as the law allows, making the work as free to reuse as possible.
Even when a work is in the public domain or marked with CC0, giving credit can still be a kind and useful school habit because it helps others find the source.
Giving Good Credit
A useful school checklist for credit is TASL: Title, Author, Source, License.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Title | The name of the work |
| Author | The creator's name or username |
| Source | Where you found the work |
| License | The exact license, such as CC BY 4.0 |
Example: “Blue Sky Drawing” by Alex Rivera, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 4.0. In a real project, the source and license should also be linked when possible.
Giving credit is important, but credit alone does not cancel copyright rules. You still need permission, a suitable license, public-domain status, or a copyright exception that applies to your use.
Copyright Exceptions and Schoolwork
Some countries have copyright exceptions called things such as fair use or fair dealing. These rules can allow certain uses without permission, but the details are different from place to place.
A school project is not automatically free from copyright rules just because it is educational. If you are unsure whether an exception applies, use openly licensed or public-domain material, ask for permission, or ask a teacher or responsible adult for guidance.
Wikimedia Commons: A Place to Practice
Wikimedia Commons is a large media library that hosts freely licensed and public-domain files. It is a useful place to practice reading license information.
When you open a file page on Wikimedia Commons, look for the creator, source, copyright status, and license. Do not assume every file has exactly the same rules. Follow the information on the specific file page.
A Safe Reuse Routine
Before adding somebody else's media to your project, ask yourself these questions:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who made it? | You need to know the creator or source. |
| What is the copyright status or license? | This tells you what permission you have. |
| Am I changing the work? | Some licenses allow adaptations and some do not. |
| Is my use commercial or noncommercial? | NC licenses allow only noncommercial uses under their terms. |
| How will I give credit? | A clear credit shows respect and helps others find the source. |
This Grade 6 lesson gives more practice with creativity, copyright, and fair use:
Interactive Tasks
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
What does copyright mainly protect? (Original creative expression) (!Every idea anyone can imagine) (!Only things that have a copyright symbol) (!Only works made by adults)
What does BY mean in a Creative Commons license? (Give credit to the creator) (!Use the work only at school) (!Do not change the work) (!Pay the creator every time)
What does SA mean? (Share adaptations under the same or compatible terms) (!Never share the work) (!Use the work only for money) (!Remove the creator name)
What does NC mean? (Use the work only for noncommercial purposes) (!Never copy the work) (!No credit is needed) (!Only the creator may view the work)
What does ND mean? (Share the work only in unadapted form under the license) (!Delete the source) (!Use the work without credit) (!Make as many adaptations as you want)
Which is one of the six main Creative Commons licenses? (CC BY-SA) (!CC PLAY) (!CC SCHOOL) (!CC SAFE)
What is CC0? (A tool for giving up copyright and related rights as far as law allows) (!A rule that bans all copying) (!A type of school report) (!A password for Wikimedia Commons)
Which set is a useful checklist for giving credit? (Title author source and license) (!Color size price and date) (!Name grade classroom and score) (!Picture font password and file)
What is the public domain? (Works that are not protected by copyright) (!A website where every image costs money) (!A secret folder for teachers) (!A license that always requires ND)
Should you assume an image is free to reuse just because it is online? (No check its license or permission first) (!Yes everything online is free) (!Yes if the image looks old) (!Yes if you do not know the creator)
Memory Game
| Copyright | Legal rights connected with original creative works |
| Attribution | Giving appropriate credit to a creator |
| Public domain | Works not protected by copyright |
| Remix | A new version that changes or combines existing material |
| License | Permission to use a work under stated rules |
| Creator | A person who makes an original work |
| CC0 | A tool for giving up copyright and related rights as far as law allows |
Drag and Drop
| Match the correct terms. | Topic |
|---|---|
| BY | Give credit to the creator |
| SA | Share adaptations under the same or compatible terms |
| NC | Use only for noncommercial purposes under the license |
| ND | Share only unadapted copies under the license |
| CC0 | Give up copyright and related rights as far as law allows |
Match each symbol with its meaning before you check your answers.
Crossword Puzzle
| Copyright | What legal term describes rights that creators have over original creative works? |
| License | What gives permission to use a work under stated rules? |
| Creator | Who makes an original work? |
| Remix | What can we call a new version that changes or combines existing material? |
| Attribution | What is the act of giving credit called? |
| Noncommercial | Which word describes a use that is not mainly intended for commercial advantage or payment? |
LearningApps
Cloze Text
Open-Ended Tasks
Easy
- Copyright Hunt: Find three original works in your classroom, such as a book, drawing, or photograph, and write one sentence explaining why copyright may apply to each.
- License Icon Card: Create a small illustrated card that shows BY, SA, NC, and ND and explains each symbol in your own words.
- Attribution Practice: Choose one freely licensed Wikimedia Commons image and write a TASL credit with title, author, source, and license.
- Creator Interview: Interview a classmate about something they created and ask how they would like other people to credit and reuse it.
Standard
- Media Detective: Visit a school library website or Wikimedia Commons, inspect five media items, and record the creator, source, license or public-domain status, and one allowed use for each.
- Remix Plan: Choose a CC-licensed work that permits adaptation and design a remix on paper, then explain which license rules you must follow before sharing it.
- Public Domain Poster: Create a poster that explains the difference between copyright, Creative Commons licenses, public domain, and CC0 using your own examples.
- Mini Tutorial Video: Produce a one-minute video that teaches younger students how to check a license and give credit before reusing an online image.
Advanced
- License Comparison Project: Compare all six Creative Commons licenses in a chart and explain which licenses permit adaptation, commercial use, and ShareAlike reuse.
- License Choice Experiment: Show classmates the same original drawing with two different license choices, collect their predictions about allowed reuse, and analyze which rules were understood or confused.
- Class Sharing Policy: Draft a fair media-sharing policy for your class that explains how students should handle their own creations and other people's media.
- Rights Scenario Podcast: Create a short audio episode with three realistic reuse situations, explain the safest choice in each case, and include accurate source credits for any media you use.
Learning Assessment
- License Reasoning: Given three different project goals, choose a suitable CC-licensed source for each and justify your choice using the license conditions.
- Attribution Repair: Improve an incomplete media credit so that another learner can identify the title, creator, source, and license.
- Reuse Decision: Explain whether a planned adaptation fits the stated CC license and identify the exact rule that matters most.
- Copyright Transfer: Apply the safe reuse routine to a new setting, such as a class blog, club poster, or video channel, and explain what changes in your decision.
- Public Domain Comparison: Compare a public-domain work with a CC BY work and explain one similarity and one important difference for a reuser.
- Creator Perspective: Choose a license for an original work of your own and defend the choice by explaining what you want other people to be allowed to do.
Evidence of Learning
- Knowledge: You can explain copyright, Creative Commons, public domain, CC0, and the meanings of BY, SA, NC, and ND.
- Skills: You can read a license notice, decide whether a planned reuse is allowed, and create a clear attribution.
- Products: You can produce a poster, chart, credit line, remix plan, video, podcast, or sharing policy that follows the stated reuse rules.
- Reasoning: You can explain why credit alone is not always enough and why the exact license and planned use both matter.
- Transfer: You can use the same safe habits when creating school presentations, websites, videos, art projects, and other digital media.
OERs on the Topic
For deeper research, explore the English Wikipedia article about Creative Commons licenses:
You can also explore the official Creative Commons license guide, the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright overview, and Wikimedia Commons.
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