This document discusses using and licensing Creative Commons (CC) content. It defines collections as assemblies of separate creative works and derivatives as wholly new creations mixing multiple sources. For collections and derivatives, attribution and compatible licensing of source content must be provided. The CC license charts help creators select appropriate licenses for derivatives and adaptations that respect the licenses of source material. The document concludes with an example collection applying a CC BY-NC license to reflect restrictions of one source image.

1. Using CC Licenses and CC-
Licensed Works
Robert Farrow
Creative Commons Certification Week 4
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2. Using CC Licenses and CC-
Licensed Works
This is a short presentation that describes collections and remixes /
adapted works / derivative works

3. What is a ‘collection’?
• Collections are collections of materials
• In an open licensing context, a collection involves the assembly of
separate and independent creative works into a collective whole
• In a collection the parts remain separate and can easily be
distinguished
• Original and third party content may be incorporated side-by-side

4. Collections
Collections are like a TV dinner where everything is kept separate
“CC TV Dinner” by Nate Angell licensed
under CC BY. Derivative of “tv dinner 1”
by adrigu used under CC BY 2.0, and
various Creative Commons license
buttons by Creative Commons used
under CC BY

5. Licensing considerations for collections
• Collections must provide attribution and licensing information about
the individual works contained within
• The selection and arrangement of works may be copyrightable
• A collection may have a licence which differs from the collected
materials
• Such copyright only extends to the new creation (assembly,
commentary, design, bindings, etc.)

6. Remixes / adapted works / derivative works
• A derived work mixes material from different sources to create a
wholly new creation
• It can be difficult to tell where one open work ends and another one
begins
• Derived works are in some ways the most powerful examples of what
can be done with open material – especially in education – but also
the most complex and risky

7. Remixes / adapted works / derivative works
In these examples works are mixed together to create something new
“CC Smoothie” by Nate Angell licensed
under CC BY. Derivative of “Strawberry
Smoothie On Glass Jar” by Element5 in the
public domain, and various Creative
Commons license buttons by Creative
Commons used under CC BY

8. Licensing considerations for remixes /
adapted works / derivative works
• The distinction between adaptations and collections is one of the
trickiest concepts in copyright law
• There are many ambiguous scenarios, and definitions rely to some
extent on local jurisdiction
• Any licence applied to the new work needs to respect the original
copyright and licensing of the works drawn on
• It’s important to ensure that the works used have licences compatible
with each other, the new creation, and the intended use

9. CC Adapters License Chart
The Adapters License Chart displays options for the licensing of a new
creation through remix or adaptation
When creating an adaptation of material under the license identified in
the left hand column, you may license your contributions to the
adaptation under one of the licenses indicated on the top row if the
corresponding box is green
CC does not recommend using a license if the corresponding box is
yellow, although doing so is technically permitted by the terms of the
license.

11. CC License Compatibility Chart
CC License Compatibility Chart guides adapters in selecting a licence for
adaptations, remixes and derived works
This chart shows which licences are compatible with one another
When using the chart, you can determine which license to use for your
adaptation by choosing the more restrictive of the two licenses on the
works you are combining

13. Key Points
• Remixing while being consistent with copyright is challenging
• As of Version 4.0, all CC licenses, even the NoDerivatives licenses,
allow anyone to make an adaptation of a CC licensed work
• If you create an adaptation using openly licensed works, there are
restrictions on how it may be used and shared
• If an underlying work is licensed ShareAlike this also applies to the
adaptation
• Licence compatibility must be considered to determine limitations

14. And finally… here’s an example of a
collection!
• The next slide contains a collection of images
• There are a combination of public domain and CC licences used
• The collection as a whole is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 to reflect the
requirements of one of the source images

15. “Philosophy old and new” by Robert
Farrow CC-BY-NC 4.0

16. Image Credits
• “CC Adapters License Chart” in “CC Certificate Unit 4: Using CC
Licenses and CC Licensed Works,” page 26, by Creative Commons,
used under CC BY 4.0
• “CC License Compatibility Chart” by Creative Commons, licensed
under CC BY 4.0
• "philosophers' rally" by Mielo Pouwer is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
• “René Descartes” by Frans Hals (Public Domain)
• ”Spinoza” (Public Domain)
• “Thomas Hobbes” (Public Domain)
• "W.P.F. - Greece" by Pollatos Dimitris is licensed under CC0 1.0
Non-attributed images found in this presentation are believed to be in the public domain.