Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright - all rights reserved - and the public domain - no rights reserved.
Our licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work - a "some rights reserved" copyright.

Too often the debate over creative control tends to the extremes. At one pole is a vision of total control - a world in which every last use of a work is regulated and in which "all rights reserved" (and then some) is the norm. At the other end is a vision of anarchy - a word in which creators enjoys a wide range of freedom but are left vulnerable to exploitation. Balance, compromise, and moderation - once the driving forces of a copyright system that valued innovation and protection equally - have become endangered species.

Creative Commons is working to revive them. We use private rights to create public goods: creative works set free for certain uses. Like the free software and open-source movements, our ends are cooperative an community-minded, but our means are voluntary and libertarian. We work to offer to creators a best-of-both-worlds way to protect their work while encouraging certain uses of them - to declare "some rights reserved."

License Your Work
Review Conditions and Select a license

FAQ
A list of Frequently Asked Questions.

CCVideos
A Collection of videos explainging Creative Commons.

Comics
Simple comics which explain the basic concepts of Creative Commons licensing. Help contribute to these.

Before Licensing
Things to think about choosing Creative Commons licenses.

Legal Concepts
Information about the legal aspects of Creative Commons'work.