Creative Commons
A standardized licensing system that allows creators to specify usage permissions for their works, widely used for image assets and media.
Creative Commons (CC) is an international licensing framework that enables creators to clearly specify how others may use their works. It occupies the middle ground between traditional "all rights reserved" copyright and public domain (complete rights waiver), permitting conditional free use.
Four main license elements exist: BY (Attribution: credit required), SA (ShareAlike: derivatives must use same license), NC (NonCommercial: no commercial use), and ND (NoDerivatives: no modifications). These combine into six licenses: CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, CC BY-ND, and CC BY-NC-ND. CC BY is the most permissive, allowing commercial use and modification with only attribution required.
When using image assets, always verify the license conditions. NC-licensed materials cannot be used on commercial or affiliate websites. Some stock photo services offer CC-licensed content. For comprehensive rights management guidance, see the Image Rights Management Guide.