Using Creative Commons Materials

What Are Creative Commons Materials?

Some copyright owners may deliberately place their work into the public domain prior to the expiration of copyright protection. There are also hybrid situations in which a copyright owner may place her work somewhere in between the public domain and full copyright protection. This is where Creative Commons comes in.

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that offers free license documentation copyright owners can implement to make their works more available for use by others. You can locate music, images, text, and video on the internet that comes with a Creative Commons license. There are different variations of Creative Commons licenses. Hence, if the material you want to use falls under a Creative Commons license or other open license, read the licensing information to determine which rights you may freely exercise and whether there are any conditions with which you must comply.

Should You Use Creative Commons Materials?

Use of Creative Commons materials is not risk free. The Creative Commons License waives only copyright restrictions. There may be other legal issues to consider before using the Creative Commons materials. These considerations include right of publicity, right of privacy and defamation concerns.

Creative Commons licenses often come with no representations, warranties, or indemnifications. Those are the guaranties from the rights owner that it is authorized to give you permission to use the material and that the material has no permissions problems. Without representations, warranties, and indemnification, you are taking the Creative Commons material as is and essentially using it at your own risk.

Less Risky Methods

Less risky methods I recommend for minimizing costs while expanding your universe of available materials include licensing works from smaller stock houses and from local, independent and upcoming artists.