Copyright and Licensing Terms

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Creative Commons

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A popular licensing system that artists can use to give advance permission for their work to be shared and used in specific ways for free. Abbreviated as "CC."

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Licensing Agreement

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An agreement between an artist or owner and another person or group to use one of the artist's or owner's creative works. It outlines how the work may be used and, if the artist wants to be compensated, how this compensation will occur.

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Fair Use

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An important part of copyright that allows people to use someone else’s copyright-protected work, without permission, in limited ways that are still fair to the owner or creator. Examples include teaching, school projects, commentary, criticism, or creating something transformative like a parody. The courts have established a four-factor test to determine fair use.

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Public Domain

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All creative work that is not currently subject to copyright protection. This includes works for which the copyright has expired and works to which copyright never applied, such as government documents. Creative works in the public domain are free for everyone to use.