Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organisation that provides standardised copyright licences and tools that enable creators to share their work with the public under clear, legally sound terms. The organisation's mission is to ensure that the commons — the body of creative works that are freely available for everyone to use and build upon — grows and remains accessible. The CC licence system offers a spectrum of licensing options ranging from the most permissive (CC0, which dedicates a work to the public domain) to more restrictive options that require attribution, prohibit commercial use, or require derivative works to use the same licence. These licences have become the standard framework for open content sharing across the internet, used by platforms like Wikipedia, Flickr, YouTube, and thousands of educational and cultural institutions. The organisation provides resources including a licence chooser tool that helps creators select the appropriate licence, detailed licence descriptions in multiple languages, and integration guides for platforms implementing CC licences. The CC Global Network connects advocates and volunteers in over 80 countries who work to promote open culture and copyright reform. The platform also hosts a searchable index of over 600 million CC-licensed works through CC Search, helping users discover content they can legally reuse. Educational resources include case studies, best practice guides, and policy recommendations for governments and institutions adopting open licensing. The organisation engages in advocacy work around copyright reform, open access to research, and cultural heritage preservation. Creative Commons is suitable for creators, educators, researchers, and anyone who wants to share or use creative works legally and ethically.