Creative Commons licenses provide a simple, standardized way for creators to grant legal permissions for others to share, use, and build upon their creative works. There are six main license types that determine if others can copy, distribute, make derivatives or adaptations, and share commercially. The licenses have three layers - a legal code, common deed, and machine-readable format. To use a license, creators choose the license type based on how they want their work shared, whether derivatives can be made, and the appropriate jurisdiction. They then need to properly tag their licensed work.