2.2 About licensing

It is common enough to assume that because something is online, it is also free to use. But is it, really? Do you normally ask the person who uploaded their materials online whether you can use them in your class, in your presentation, in your report…? Of course not! That’s what Creative Commons licences [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] do: they let you know exactly how an author would like you to use their materials while they retain copyright. The following image explains what each of the licences allows you to do.

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Source: How to Attribute Creative Commons Photos, by FOTER.
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The image shows four Creative Commons licences. (From left to right) Attribution (by) You may copy, distribute, display and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only if they give the author or licensor the credits in the manner specified by these. Non-commercial (NC) You may copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only for noncommercial purposes. No Derivative Works (ND) You may copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of the work, not derivative works based on it. Share Alike (SA) You may distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs the original work. Below the badges is a notice that reads: A licence cannot feature both the Share Alike and No Derivative Works options. The Share Alike requirement applies only to derivative works.

These licences can be combined. For example, the image reproduced right above this paragraph has been released under a CC BY-SA licence, which means that it can be reused in this course as long as it is attributed and shared under the same terms. The author has not added any restrictions with regard to adapting the resource (note that we have cropped it from the original) or using it for commercial purposes.

What is important for you to understand is that only resources allowing for adaptation are actual OER; if you can’t adapt it, then it’s not open. See the slide below: a resource with a No-Derivatives (CC-ND) licence stops you from making any changes to it, therefore it is not open.

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Source: Creative Commons Licenses, by Paul Stacey, CC BY 4.0
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The slide is in three columns. The first column has ‘least free’ at the bottom with an arrow pointing upwards to ‘most free’ at the top of the column. The middle column shows the creative commons licences available: the most free at the top of the column is Public domain; next is By, then BY SA; BY NC; BY NC SA; BY ND and finally, the least free is BY NC ND. The third column has an arrow against the first five licences with the word OER. The last two licences (BY ND and BY NC ND) have an arrow against them and the words Not OER.

Watch Josie Fraser talking about Creative Commons licences and the decisions we make when choosing which licence to use.

Activity 2

Fancy playing a game? Follow the instructions in the link and remix four different media types to create a new resource.

2.1 What do you do?

2.3 Your OER places