!["[Updated] 2024 Approved Decoding and Practicing with Creative Commons Licenses"](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/86F84KXmC5S52L9NAF6LQTtWmFE=/540x405/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Google-IO-narrow-5f29c4777cf94e1291f3921f22964aed.jpg)
"[Updated] 2024 Approved Decoding and Practicing with Creative Commons Licenses"
![](/images/site-logo.png)
Decoding and Practicing with Creative Commons Licenses
How to Use Creative Commons Copyright Licenses [Complete Guide]
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.
So, what exactly are creative commons ?
To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).
When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.
If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.
But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.
There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:
Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?
Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?
To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.
An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.
Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.
Attribution – CC BY
If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.
If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.
Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA
If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.
If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.
Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND
This one can get tricky.
Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.
Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.
For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.
Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.
There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.
Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC
If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.
What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.
If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.
The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA
Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.
If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND
There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.
You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.
Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Also read:
- In 2024, Creative Video Ends Top 6 Budget-Friendly Options!
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Elite Audio Modifying Tools Tailored to YouTube Creators
- [New] In 2024, Ensuring Thumbnails Show Shorts Video Troubleshooting
- [New] The Ultimate Guide to Channel Description Perfection
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Affordable, Quality Cameras The Ultimate Buyer's Guide
- [New] Maximizing Engagement YouTube Links as a Catalyst
- [New] Balancing Acts in YouTube Music Mixes for 2024
- [Updated] Discover the Art of Curating Music on YouTube with Our Steps for 2024
- Numbers in Focus! Yearly YT Trends & Trivia (2017) for 2024
- [New] Cinematic Dialogue Assembler for 2024
- [New] Take Your Online Presence to New Heights with YouTube Edits in Sony Vegas
- Optimize YouTube for Superior Image Quality Using AV1 for 2024
- [Updated] YouTube Marketing Boosted by Free Downloadable Templates
- [New] In 2024, Cutting-Edge Video Editing in YouTube Studio Explained
- [Updated] Maximize Your Videos with Top YouTube Rippers
- [Updated] Video Voyage to Victory Secrets From YouTube Stars
- [New] In 2024, Dominate YouTube with Effective Content Strategies
- [Updated] In 2024, Crafting Stellar Video Beginnings with Free Tools
- [Updated] The Art of Applying Skin Secrets Establishing an Online Beauty Platform
- [Updated] From Vlogs to Virality Jake Paul, the Online Phenomenon
- [Updated] How to Create a YouTube Channel Trailer to Increase Revenue for 2024
- [Updated] In 2024, Discovering Your Dream Makeup Routine with YouTube's Leaders
- [New] 2024 Approved Compliance in Recording Video Streams on YouTube
- 2024 Approved Charting a Course Essential Equipment for YouTube Enthusiasts
- The Ultimate Guide to Design and Build Your Own 4K Editing System for 2024
- In 2024, How To Unlock iPhone SE (2022) Without Passcode? 4 Easy Methods
- [Updated] In 2024, High-Speed Snapshot & Voice Commentary Assistant Device
- Complete Guide to Hard Reset Your Vivo V30 | Dr.fone
- In 2024, How to Cast Motorola Moto E13 Screen to PC Using WiFi | Dr.fone
- Mastering Motion Blur in PS A Step-by-Step Guide
- [Updated] Top Tips Mastering Music on Instagram for 2024
- Updated How to Add Filters on iMovie for 2024
- Why Does My Xiaomi 13 Ultra Keep Turning Off By Itself? 6 Fixes Are Here | Dr.fone
- Astrological Flair Crafting Bios for Each Zodiac House
- [Updated] From Frame to Script Innovative Ways of Integrating Text in Images
- Top-Notch Solutions for Disabled Apple ID From iPhone 6s Plus Making It Possible
- [Updated] Budget-Conscious Filmmaker's Essential Video Gear List
- In 2024, Harmonious Hubs Your Guide to Posting Audio on YouTube
- [Updated] Unlock Pristine Facebook Videos on Chromebooks
- 2024 Approved Explore Top Picks for High-Resolution 4K Panels
- [New] The Ultimate Pathway to Saving Social Media GIFs on Different Devices for 2024
- Trailblaze Your Way to Success Insights on YouTube Metrics with Social Blade
- 2024 Approved Eats of the Earth Delicacies From Around The Globe
- Title: "[Updated] 2024 Approved Decoding and Practicing with Creative Commons Licenses"
- Author: Kenneth
- Created at : 2024-06-05 08:15:17
- Updated at : 2024-06-06 08:15:17
- Link: https://facebook-video-footage.techidaily.com/updated-2024-approved-decoding-and-practicing-with-creative-commons-licenses/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.